The Forgotten One
by Jon-Ur
Summary: Artemis and Apollo weren't twins. They were triplets. They spent centuries together, but now, one of them has faded. Artemis and Apollo are left distraught, and centuries later, they still haven't recovered. But when the Doors of Death are forced open and the Giants are raging, the lost god will return. Hopefully not cliché.
1. Chapter 1

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter One: Prologue**

1,500 B.C…

Apollo was in a rather joyous mood. That normally wasn't out of the ordinary, but today he was especially happy. He'd just spent a rather wonderous night with a young woman in Athens, there was naught a cloud in the sky, and his birthday was approaching.

Naturally, Apollo viewed his birthday as the greatest day in all of creation, and rightfully so! After all, it was on that day that the world was graced with his godly presence. Every year he'd throw himself the biggest party Olympus had ever seen. There'd be cake, Nectar, plenty of music, and anyone who was anyone would be there!

Not to mention he got to share the day with his two favorite siblings.

His older sister (though he'd never admit she was older even if he was paid to) Artemis, goddess of the Hunt, would take a break from her girls to share in the festivities. It was one of the only times, aside from council meetings that she was present on Olympus, and Apollo was always thankful for that.

His younger brother, Aita, the youngest of the three, would happily dance and sing during the day and late into the night. Apollo would often play a duet with his brother. As the god of music (which he shared with Apollo), warmth, joy and peace, Aita was a blast at parties, much to Artemis' eternal displeasure.

Their mother, Leto, would make them a massive cake with frosting and sprinkles and everything else that was good on Earth. Their father, Zeus, would raise a glass and toast another happy year for his children. Hera would grumble and leave early, but she wasn't missed much.

As he thought, Apollo quickly became lost in his own mind. That is, until he noticed a dark silhouette laying on the grass of a nearby field. Apollo smiled when he recognized the figure.

Aita often left the kingdom of the gods and would journey all throughout Greece, enjoying the pleasures of the human world, which only a few other gods like Hermes and Apollo could understand.

Putting the sun chariot into auto-pilot, Apollo hopped down to see his brother. As he got closer, he noticed that Aita's eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly, like he was asleep. Apollo shrugged; it wasn't normal for a god to sleep, but it wasn't exactly taboo.

Nudging his brother with his leg, Apollo noticed something else: Aita looked older. It wasn't unusual for a god to change his appearance every now and again, but Aita looked… _wrong_. His hair, usually a very flattering black, was grey, almost white. His breathing was also labored, as though each one he took pained him.

Apollo bent down and shook his brother's shoulder. "Bro?"

Aita's eyes opened slowly, as though it took great effort to do so. He reached a hand up and Apollo took it, concern suddenly washing over him. His brother shouldn't be acting like this. "Apollo?"

Oh gods. Aita's voice-usually calming and wonderful-was strained. Apollo squeezed his hand and said, "Yeah, dude, it's me."

Aita smiled sadly. "I'm so tired. I think it's almost time."

"Time for what?"

Aita looked back up into the sky. "Gods are not truly eternal, Apollo. You of all people should know this."

Apollo gasped as he went pale. "You don't mean…"

Aita nodded. "The mortals have forgotten me. I am not as strong as I once was, Apollo. It is almost time for me to go."

"What?" Apollo breathed. "Y-you can't! You can't fade, not when we still have so many memories to make."

"I'm sorry, brother, but it seems you will have to do those on your own."

"No," Apollo said as he put his brother's arm over his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. "I won't let you. Come on, we're going to Olympus."

Before Aita could protest, Apollo teleported them to his Olympian palace. Aita nearly collapsed when the ground solidified, but Apollo was able to get him into his bed. Aita was shivering, so Apollo pulled the blankets over him.

Apollo began to pace as he thought about how he could help his brother. He was the god of medicine, for Zeus' sake, he should know this! But sadly, his mind was drawing a blank. Taking a glance at his brother, Apollo pulled out his trump card: his mother. She'd know what to do! She had to! She was a mom, she knew all kinds of great things, surely she'd be able to help!

Closing his eyes, Apollo sent a silent prayer to his mother. A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Apollo was down the stairs in a heartbeat. Throwing it open, he found his mother, Leto, standing there. She was wearing her usual sundress with her golden hair tied down.

"Hi, sweetie! You ca-ahh!" Apollo dragged Leto by the arm up to his bedroom.

Wresting her arm free, Leto crossed her arms and said, "Apollo! Just what was that all about?"

"It's Aita!" Apollo said. "He's really bad, Mom. I need your help"

Leto's silver eyes softened. "Oh. What's wrong with him?"

Apollo didn't have the heart to tell her, so he opened the door and led her inside. When she saw the god on the bed, she covered her mouth with her hands and ran to his side. She knelt down at took his hand in her own and cupped his cheek with her free hand.

Leto turned back to Apollo and said, with tears in her eyes, "He's fading."

Apollo could only nod as tears began to well up in his eyes as well. Leto kissed her son's hand in an attempt to stop the sobs that were threatening to come. Aita slowly opened an eye and looked at his mother. He gave a small smile. "Hello, Mother."

"Aita…" Leto croaked.

Aita wiped away one of her tears with his finger. "Shhh. Do not grieve. I'm going somewhere I'm needed."

" _I_ need you," Leto said. "Apollo needs you. Artemis needs you. Your wife needs you. You can't go. I won't let you."

Aita laughed. "I have no doubt of that, but not even you can stop this, unless you can make everyone remember me again."

Leto placed her head on Aita's chest as sobs rocked her body. Aita looked up sadly and said to Apollo, "Will you call Artemis, please? There's not much time left."

Apollo nodded and closed his eyes and begged his sister to come see him, and that it was important. A moment later another knock came from his door. When he opened it he found his sister, garbed in her traditional hunting gear, bow over her shoulder, glaring at him. "This had better be important, Apollo. I was in the middle of…Are you alright?"

Apollo could only shake his head.

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked.

Apollo took a deep breath and wiped his eyes with his arm. "It's Aita."

Artemis uncrossed her arms. "What about him?"

Apollo struggled for words, but could only utter, "Follow me." Before he turned and walked up the steps toward his bedroom. He could hear Artemis walking behind him.

Apollo stopped to let Artemis enter the bedroom first. She stopped halfway between the door and the bed, taking in the sight before her with concerned eyes.

When Aita saw her, he gave a small smile. "Hello, sister."

Leto looked up and locked eyes with her only daughter. "Mother, what's going on?"

Leto tried to speak, but a lump had formed in her throat, so all that came out was a croaking sound. Aita, hating to see him mother suffering, said, "I'm fading."

Artemis flinched, a shocked expression coming over her face. "You're lying."

Aita arched an eyebrow. "Is that what you think?"

"O-of course! You can't be fading! You're the youngest of us, you aren't supposed to…to die first."

Leto and Apollo winced at the D-word, but Aita only closed his eyes. "I'm not an Olympian, sister. I was never as popular or as well-known as you two. It seems the mortals have found other gods to worship."

Artemis scowled. "Then we'll _make_ them believe in you again."

"You cannot," Aita said. "And even if you could, it would be too late. I expect I only have minutes left."

"No! That's too soon! You promised to come hunting with me."

Aita smiled. "I'm afraid all my hunting is over, sister. I'm sorry."

Artemis sobbed and took his other hand. "Don't be. _I'm_ the one who should be sorry. I never went out of the way to spent time with you or get closer to you."

"None of you should apologize. You've given me the greatest family I could've asked for. I don't regret one moment of it."

"There's nothing we can do?" Apollo asked.

"You two could try and get along better," Aita said. "I won't be around to play mediator anymore. Think you can do that for me?"

Artemis and Apollo exchanged a nervous glance. Even though they were siblings, they were about as opposite as you could imagine. "We'll…try." Apollo said.

"Thank you," Aita said.

A short silence fell over them. It was a silence of mourning and remembrance. It was only broken by someone clearing their throat. All parties there turned to find a man with black hair and blue eyes wearing a white robe standing in the middle of the doorway.

Apollo and Artemis took a step back while Leto glared at the newcomer. "What are you doing here?" She snarled.

"I called him," Aita said.

Leto turned back, shocked. Zeus cleared his throat again. "If I could have a moment alone with our son…"

"Go to Tartarus," Leto hissed. "You were never there before, what changed?"

"He's dying," Was the simple answer.

Leto stood up and raised a hand to slap the king when Aita spoke up, "Mother, please…"

Leto looked back at her son. Her gaze softened before she turned to face Zeus. "You have five minutes."

"Five minutes is all I need," Zeus said as Leto led her other children out of the bedroom.

"Apollo," Aita said as he raised a hand. The sun god turned back to look his brother in his purple eyes. "Yes?"

"Tell my wife, tell her that I'm sorry, and that I loved her more than anything else in this world. Please?"

Apollo nodded. "She'll know."

"Thank you."

Once they were alone, Zeus closed the door and stood awkwardly by the door. "I'm glad you're here," Aita said. He could feel himself fading. It would only be a few more minutes. Three if he was lucky.

"I came as soon as I got your message," Zeus said. "Are you comfortable?"

"As much as I can be."

Zeus looked down. "I'm sorry. I admit I am not very good at this."

Aita laughed. "I know."

Zeus sighed. "You really are irksome sometimes."

"You know what they say; like father, like son."

Zeus normally would've smote anyone who dared speak to him like that, but there was no point now. Now, all he could do was make sure his son passed peacefully.

"Father?"

Zeus looked up. "Yes?"

"Are…are you proud of me? I think I'd like to know."

Zeus' eyes got misty. "Aita, you've made me the proudest father in the cosmos. I could never have imagined I'd have a son as wonderful or as kind as you."

Aita sighed. "That's good. That felt nice." He extended a hand. "Will you stay with me? I'm scared."

Zeus sat down next to his son on the bed and took his hand in his own. He held it so tight the knuckles were turning white, but Aita didn't complain. All he said was, "Thank you. I'm tired. I think…I think I'd like to sleep now."

He closed his eyes for a final time and his body dissolved into white mist, which was blown away out an open window.

Zeus sat in silence until the door was pulled open. "Time's up," Leto said. "So get…" She noticed the empty bed and the solemn expression on Zeus' face, and it clicked. She let out a heart wrenching scream and sunk to the ground, defeated. Zeus walked over to her and pulled her to him. She fought him at first, punching and kicking, but the fight left him after a few moments. She resigned herself to crying helplessly into her former lover's chest.

Zeus looked up and saw his children; each dealing with the grief in their own way. Artemis sat on the ground, legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, sobbing. Apollo stood, tears not leaving his eyes as he squeezed his fists so hard ichor was dripping down his fingers. In his eyes, Zeus recognized anger that burned brighter and hotter than the thing he ruled over.

Together, they mourned the loss of one they all held so dearly in their hearts, now gone forever.

Aita, son of Zeus and Leto, was gone.

* * *

A/N: If you enjoyed, please say so in a review. If you want this to continue, please favorite and follow. I have no idea when I'll be able to review, since I'm writing two stories right now, but it should be at least once a month.

I've also set up a poll on my profile for who Aita's wife should be. It'll have all the eligible goddesses on it, within reason of course, so no Hestia or Artemis (ew). If you can't vote, then leave your choice in a review or PM me.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Two: Grief**

Artemis stared into the fire of her campsite, completely numb. She'd returned in the wee hours of the morning, when the moon was high in the sky and all of her Hunters were in bed, save one. Zoe Nightshade; her lieutenant. When she'd arrived, Zoe had frantically asked what was wrong, why she'd been gone so long, and why she was crying.

Artemis sent her to bed without answering any of them.

She needed to be alone. She needed to grieve without the intervention of her family. Apollo was gone, probably punishing the mortals for their crimes. She didn't blame him. Heck, she was tempted to do so as well. But she couldn't. She was the responsible one. She needed to stay strong for the others.

Her mother was practically comatose. The last she'd seen of her, Leto was silent and still in Zeus's arms. She made no sounds other than a small whimpering noise. Zeus had told her to go and that he'd handle it. Artemis didn't need to be told twice.

Now, as she stared into the flames, she went over every memory she had of her brother. How she'd helped deliver him, and how he'd slid right into her arms, crying so loudly that she was certain all of Greece could hear it. He'd fit so perfectly in her embrace that she almost didn't want to give him up. She remembered the day clearly…

 _The silence that normally resided over the island of Delos was broken by a cry of pure agony. Leto, Titaness of motherhood, was lying in a small pool of clear water. Her legs were propped up and spread and a white cloth covered her body. Her face was pale and sweaty, and she had tears in her eyes._

 _Artemis was perched just outside the pool, waiting to help. Apollo, the newest addition to the family, was hiding behind a rock, eyes and ears covered._

 _Leto let out another shriek and Artemis said, "It's time, Mother. When I say three, you push. Ready? One…two…three…push!"_

 _Leto gasped and began to do so. After several agonizing minutes, Artemis reached her hand under her mother's towel and picked up the small thing that was her new sibling. She washed him and wrapped him in a small blanket. It was a boy. She had another brother. Hopefully this one would be less annoying than Apollo._

 _The little thing was crying and flailing his arms so much he almost whacked Artemis on the nose. Artemis began to rock the babe back and forth and after a few moments it settled down. Now that it had stopped screaming, Artemis was able to take in its features. The baby had pale skin, like her, though he had a few tufts of black hair, instead of her auburn locks. His eyes were also different. Instead of silver or blue, this one had purple eyes that shone like amethysts._

 _She never wanted to let him go._

" _He's beautiful, Mother," Artemis said._

 _Leto held out her arms. "Let me hold him."_

 _Reluctantly, Artemis passed her new brother over to their mother, who held him to her breast and cooed._

 _Apollo stuck his head out from behind his rock. "Is it over?"_

 _Leto smiled and nodded. "Come meet your new baby brother."_

 _Apollo slowly inched his way out and got closer to get a better look. The baby eyes this new creature with caution. "He's ugly," Apollo said._

" _Apollo!" Artemis said as she pushed him._

" _What'd I say, what'd I say?" Apollo asked from his new spot on his back._

 _Leto laughed softly. "Not to me. To me he's one of the most beautiful things in the world, tied with you two, of course."_

 _Artemis and Apollo blushed. "What will you call him?" Apollo asked._

 _Leto thought for a moment before she smiled at the babe in her arms. "Aita."_

By now Artemis was dealing with a whole new batch of tears that worked their way down her cheeks. She had no idea what she'd tell the Hunters when they woke. Even though the Hunters were an all-female group, sometimes they made exceptions. The most well-known example was the giant Orion, who'd recent passing had rocked Artemis to her core. He'd loved her, and maybe…just maybe, she'd felt a spark as well, but she couldn't. Her vow would never allow it.

Aita had also been an exception, though he never took the oath or spent long durations with them. The most he'd stay was a week, then he'd be back off to Olympus and his wife.

His wife…

Artemis remembered the day he'd come to her, telling her of the wonderous news. As he explained the wedding plans, Artemis could only listen on with horror. Her brother was getting married to some D-list goddess that Artemis didn't have the time to remember. Her baby brother was in love with another woman. As much as she loathed to admit, Artemis was furious. Aita was _her_ brother, and she had no desire to share him with another woman besides their mother.

When the fateful day came, Artemis was prepared to hate who she saw. She's spent the entire time imagining the bride as some snarky she-devil who was only with her brother for his status. Then she saw it. She saw how much more at ease Aita seemed to be, how much he enjoyed twirling his bride around the dance floor. How much _she_ was smiling; how much she would give him a quick peck on the lips before giggling like a school girl.

Artemis's dread soon turned to melancholy. Her new sister-in-law wasn't some nagging harpy or a loose tart like Aphrodite; she was someone who loved her brother just as much as he loved her. When she realized that, Artemis thought that maybe…just maybe, her brother would be alright.

She was proven right time and time again.

While many gods and goddesses would forsake their vows of matrimony for a quick fling here and there, Aita never did. He remained loyal to his spouse; even though he was given multiple opportunities. She recalled a time when she saw Hebe attempt to seduce her brother…

 _Artemis was walking through the Olympian gardens, enjoying the wonderful flowers and the songs of the birds. She turned a corner and saw her brother pressed up against a statue of Eros. Before him, the goddess Hebe not so subtly pressing against him._

" _Oh, come on," Hebe purred. She batted her eyelashes. Aita gulped. "Nobody has to know. Please? Just one kiss."_

 _Aita cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Hebe, but I'm married."_

 _Hebe waved a hand. "Oh, that witch is never here. She's always down in the Underworld." She scoffed. "She'll never find out."_

" _Listen Hebe, I'm only going to say it one more time. I'm. Not. Interested."_

" _Come on," She drawled. "It'll be fun."_

" _Excuse me," Artemis cut in, stepping around the corner. "But he said he wasn't interested,_ sister _."_

 _Hebe whirled around to face her fellow goddess. "This doesn't concern you, Artemis."_

" _On the contrary, this does concern me. My brother here is too kind to be say what needs to be said, so allow me: he doesn't want you. Why don't you go hook up with Eros or something."_

 _Hebe looked behind her, but when Aita didn't say anything, she stomped her foot and walked off. When she was gone, Aita let out a sigh and turned to his sister. "Thanks."_

 _Artemis inclined her head. "She should know better than to attempt such foolishness."_

 _Aita shrugged. "She's young and single. She doesn't know any better."*_

" _She should. Perhaps I should inform Hera. Hopefully she'll give her daughter the thrashing she deserves."_

 _Aita laughed. "I don't think she deserves_ that _. I pray she doesn't try that again. You probably won't be around to rescue me a second time. I'm just glad Hecate wasn't here. Can you imagine if_ she'd _been the one to find us like that? Oh man, I'd be a dead man."_

" _Hmm." Artemis said._

 _Aita's smile disappeared. "Something wrong?"_

" _Are you happy?" Artemis asked suddenly. "With Hecate, I mean. Does she love you? Does she treat you well?"_

 _Aita looked confused. "Of course she does. Why?"_

" _I simply wanted to make sure."_

 _Aita smiled. "I love you too."_

 _He stepped forward and hugged her. She stiffened for a second before she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. Artemis could freely admit that she wasn't the most, ah, warm person on Olympus, and she often had trouble admitting her true feelings, so all she did was stand there silently while Aita hugged her_

Now, she'd never get the chance to hug her baby brother again. She'd never see him smile or hear him laugh or feel his arms around her again. She'd lost him, and she'd never told him how much she loved him.

She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of her Hunters emerging from the tents. She noticed that the sun chariot was beginning to emerge, though she couldn't sense her brother on board. No doubt one of the other sun gods from the various other pantheons were handling the sun.

"My lady?" Phoebe asked. "Is everything all right?"

The other Hunters were looking at her in concern. Artemis let out a sad sigh. "Sit down, girls. Somethings happened…"

-o-

Apollo fired a plague arrow at a nearby city. He could hear the people scream from pain and sorrow when the arrow landed. Good. Served them right. It was their fault Aita was gone. As he watched the city be engulfed with sickness, he recalled the memory of the events that had transpired not an hour ago…

 _Apollo made his way down into the Underworld. Normally he wasn't allowed down there, but he'd convinced his father to order Lord Hades to allow him a brief visit. As he passed by Cerberus, the dog growled at him before it was gone. As he walked by the Fields of Asphodel, he watched the souls mill about aimlessly. He could relate._

 _Soon, he came upon the obsidian palace of Hades. Two skeletal warriors pushed the doors open for him and he walked through, heading for the throne room. When he stepped into the large room he was met by the sight of his uncle, Hades._

" _Nephew," The god said from his black throne. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"_

" _No need to get snarky, Uncle," Apollo said. "I'll be only a few moments. I'm looking for Lady Hecate."_

 _Hades arched an eyebrow. "Very well. She's in her laboratory. First right up the steps, third door on the left."_

 _Apollo nodded. "Thank you, Uncle."_

 _He followed Hades' directions and knocked softly. A smooth voice said, "Enter." Apollo took a deep breath and pushed the door open._

 _The room was dark, with only torches lighting the area. Dark mist covered the floor, obscuring Apollo's view of his feet. Along the walls were bookcases full of dusty old books, various alchemical ingredients and jars full of strangely colored mist. The woman in the center of the room, holding a ceramic jar wore a black sleeveless dress that pooled around her feet. Her dark hair was swept into a ponytail over her shoulder and her black eyes pierced Apollo's very skin. Her black lipstick curled into a smile on her face._

" _Well," Said Hecate, goddess of magic. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you, Apollo. Tell me, how have you been?"_

 _Apollo took a deep breath and walked forward. "Not so good recently."_

 _The goddess cocked her head to the side. "Oh? And why is that?"_

" _It…it's about Aita."_

 _A small smile appeared on the goddess's lips. "I see. Has by silly husband roped you into writing me another poem?"_

 _Apollo gulped. "No, it…it's something else."_

 _Hecate arched an eyebrow. "Well? Get on with it. Why are you here?"_

" _Aita…he's gone, Hecate."_

" _What? You came all the way down here just to tell me he left Olympus? He leaves Olympus all the time, for Zeus' sake. How about next time you interrupt me, it's for a good-"_

" _He's dead, Hecate."_

 _The goddess froze. She dropped the jar onto the floor and it shattered into a million shards. Tears welled up in Hecate's eyes. "No."_

 _Apollo nodded. "He faded an hour ago. I saw it myself. He's gone."_

 _Hecate turned around and gripped the side of her chair tightly, tight enough to turn her fingers white. Tears began to slide down her tears as she fought back the sobs that were sure to come._

" _He wanted me to tell you…he loved you. More than anything in this world."_

" _Get. Out." Hecate whispered._

 _Apollo took a step forward. "But-"_

" _I SAID GET OUT!" Hecate shouted as she threw a vase at the sun god's head. "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! NOW!" She continued to throw vases at Apollo until the sun god ran out the door and away from Hades' home, even though he could still hear the sound of the goddess' sobs._

Apollo fired another arrow. More people died.

He remembered the days he'd spent with his brother. How they used to sing and dance for all of Greece to see. They'd hunt with their sister in the forest until they'd caught enough game to feed a small town. Even though Artemis always complained about them being with her Hunters, they all knew that she secretly loved it. Apollo would always flirt with the Hunters, by Aita was able to restrain him somewhat.

Apollo always liked spending time with his brother, rare as those times were. What with Apollo driving the sun chariot and Aita often spending time among the mortals, they didn't spend much time together.

Apollo remembered one time however, one time when they both met by chance, and had perhaps one of the greatest days Apollo had seen…

 _Apollo strolled through the streets of Delphi. He had just returned from appointing a new oracle, and was looking to spend a few hours wandering the city. He'd been walking for an hour or two when he saw him._

 _Aita was dressed in a leather jerkin and breeches, a flute in his lap. He was sitting on a street corner, with a small burlap sack at his feet. Apollo walked over, a smile on his face. "'Sup, bro?"_

 _Aita looked up before smiling as well. "Hello, Apollo. I didn't think I'd see you today. What are you doing here?"_

" _New oracle," Apollo explained._

 _Aita inclined his head. "Ah. That explains it, though I'm kinda surprised you'd show up. You don't appoint every oracle in person."_

 _Apollo smiled. "Not every oracle's as gorgeous as that one." He paused. "What are you doing here?"_

" _Why, enjoying this beautiful day, of course! I thought I'd come down, play some music, and have a me-day. Why don't you join me?"_

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Of course! Music sounds much better in a duet than it does in a single."_

 _Apollo shrugged and summoned his lyre. He sat down next to his brother and began to strum the cords. Soon Aita joined in and the two were playing away. Every few minutes a stranger would drop a coin or two at their feet and walk on. After a few hours, there were so many coins they formed a foot-high pile._

 _Aita scooped up the coins and piled them into his bag. Apollo stood up. "What'cha gonna do with that? We don't need money."_

 _Aita pursed his lips and looked down the street. A homeless man was trying to play with a makeshift lyre, but the instrument was so worn out that it could barely play. Aita smiled and walked toward him. When he got to where the man sat, he dropped the purse at his feet._

" _For you." Aita said._

 _The man opened the satchel and looked on in wonder at all the coins. "Why?" He asked._

" _I have no need for money," Aita explained. "Use it to buy yourself some new clothes and a new lyre."_

 _The man nodded vigorously and Aita walked off. Apollo stared at his brother's retreating figure and thought, maybe…just maybe, his brother would be a better god than most of Olympus._

No longer. His brother was gone, and he wasn't coming back. Apollo fought back the tears that were falling, but it was hopeless. He couldn't give into despair, so he vented in other ways.

Apollo fired another arrow.

-o-

Leto was numb. She didn't feel anything. She laid on her bed, wrapped in the white blankets as her tears stained the sheets. It didn't feel like he was gone, but she knew he was. It felt like someone ripped a hole where her heart was and nothing she could do was ever going to heal it.

Her baby was gone.

He was her littlest one, he was her sweet little boy and he'd been ripped away from her. She knew Apollo was taking his anger out on the mortals, but she didn't stop him. A small part of her agreed with him, and was overjoyed he was delivering the justice those pigs deserved.

When they'd been on Delos, Aita had been the one to help her around the house while Artemis hunted and Apollo admired his reflection in the water. When the other two fought, Aita would be the one to diffuse the situation when things got too intense. She remembered the day he'd solved a rather large argument, in the most adorable way possible…

 _Leto threw the door to the small cabin open. The shouting of her two oldest children could be heard from across the island. She was certain she would find her children prepared to rip each other's throats out, but instead she found an empty living room._

" _Hello?" She called as she entered the room. "Artemis? Apollo? Aita?"_

" _Mommy!" She heard Aita call out as he ran into the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gleefully said, "I missed you!"_

" _I missed you too," She told the four-year-old as she bent down to hug him. "Where are your brother and sister?"_

 _Aita's eyes lit up like the sky. "Show! Show! Come on!"_

 _He began to drag her to the triplet's shared bedroom. Inside, Apollo and Artemis were wrapped in one of the bed sheets. They were both struggling greatly, but they couldn't get free._

" _Mommy!" Apollo cried. "Get this off of us!"_

" _No!" Aita said. "You have to stay in!"_

" _What's going on here?" Leto asked as she put her hands on her hips._

" _That little weasel trapped us in here and won't let us go!" Artemis cried._

" _You have to say sorry!" Aita protested._

" _Aita, what's this?" Leto asked._

" _It's the_ Get Along Shirt _! They can't leave 'till they apologize!"_

" _You little runt! You'd better pray I don't get my hands on you!" Artemis said._

" _Can't. Can't leave 'till you apologize."_

 _Leto covered her mouth to prevent the laughter from coming out. "Mother!" Artemis said._

 _Leto put on a serious face. "I'm sorry, Artemis, but I'm afraid I'm with Aita on this one."_

" _What?" All three said._

 _Leto nodded. "I'll have Aita let you out when you say you're sorry to each other."_

" _Yay!"_

 _Artemis and Apollo looked at each other, scowls on their faces. Finally they sighed and muttered, "Sorry."_

" _Kiss 'n make up!" Aita cried._

" _You've gotta be-"_

" _Kiss 'n make up!"_

 _Both prisoners winced before they looked at each other and gave a quick peck before they flinched away and started gagging. Aita, satisfied, leaned over and pulled on a small knot in the center. The sheet fell away._

" _I've very proud of you two," Leto said. "Hopefully now you'll learn to work together."_

" _Oh yes, Mother," Artemis said. "We'll start working together right now."_

" _To punish the little jerk who made us kiss!" Apollo finished._

 _Leto watched with amusement as Artemis and Apollo chased their brother all over the island, screaming about how they were going to get him._

Leto smiled briefly before it returned back into a blank stare. They wouldn't have any more family moments like that. There'd be no more happy memories between her three children. Leto knew she'd get over the loss in a few centuries, but until then, she wouldn't smile, laugh or be happy.

Her joy was gone, and nothing could fix that.

-o-

Present Day…

"Is it done?" A woman with long golden hair and a golden sundress asked. Standing before her were the Fates themselves, all gathered around a stone dais. They had their arms raised reverently over their heads.

"Soon," Said Clotho, Fate of Birth.

"Difficult magic to perform," Continued Lachesis, Fate of Life.

"No guarantee it will work," Finished Atropos, Fate of Death.

The woman's face softened. "I know. I'm sorry. Just, please hurry."

The women nodded and continued. Soon a white mist began to form on the dais. The Fates began to mutter under their breaths. The mist took the form of a teenage boy with black hair and pale skin. When they finished, they lowered their arms and produced two broken pieces of golden string.

"Faded god," Clotho said.

"We restore your string, so that you may serve Olympus again," Lachesis continued.

"For by your hand, the gods preserve or fail," Atropos finished.

The two pieces of string fused back together, and when they merged, the god's purple eyes opened. He sat up and looked around. When he noticed the woman, he asked, "Who are you?"

She put a hand on her chest. "I am Hemera, primordial of the day, daughter of Nyx, sister of the Fates." The Fates nodded.

Aita stood up and knelt. "Lady Hemera, this is an honor."

Hemera waved her hand. "No need for such formalities, Aita. Hemera is fine."

He stood and flexed his fingers. "If you don't mind me asking, Hemera, but…how am I here. I thought I faded."

The primordial nodded. "You did. 3,500 years ago, you faded from the world."

"Then how have I returned?"

Hemera glanced at her sisters. "The Doors of Death have been forced open and Thanatos has been imprisoned. We were able to pull you back because the border between life and death has become blurred. We believe you are your best hope."

"For what?"

"There is a war coming. Gaea, the Earth Mother, has raised her children the Giants to destroy the gods. The Giants are a race mothered by Gaea and fathered by Tartarus, designed specifically to combat one certain Olympian. Since you faded before the first war, you have no Giant counterpart, making you the ideal candidate to undergo these trials."

"Trials?"

"Yes. There are numerous forces at work. They are all converging to destroy Olympus and the western world."

Aita paused. "While I'm honored, really, but…why me? And why save the mortals? You are a primordial, and you will not be affected if the Olympians fall."

Hemera smiled. "Believe it or not, not all primordials are uncaring deities. If Olympus falls, monsters will rule. There will be nothing but chaos. Gaea has imprisoned Death, raised the dead, and plans to cause war. She has violated the fundamental laws of the universe. She must be stopped."

"And if I refuse? What if I return to Olympus and wait out Doomsday with my family?"

Hemera shrugged. "Then you shall be returned to Olympus, where you will surely die when the Giants return to full strength and raze Olympus. But I offer you a choice: you can either return and die, or you can work from the shadows, striking out at Gaea's main forces and save the lives of hundreds, and once the war is over you will be escorted to Olympus, where you can spend the rest of eternity in solace. What is your choice?"

Aita thought for a moment. "I'm in."

Hemera smiled. "Then let's get started."

* * *

* This story takes place roughly 400 years before the birth of Heracles and the first Giant war, so that's why Hebe was said to be single and Aita doesn't have a Giant counterpart.

A/N: Ok everyone, there's chapter two. Now I know I said it would be a monthly thing, but the idea for this just came to me. Don't get used to it, however. I still intend to work on both my stories at the same time, so expect an update every few weeks.

If you have any questions, please PM me or leave it in a review and I'll try and answer it. Also, please, please, _please_ leave a review so I know what you think. If you like it then favorite and follow. Also, just so you all know, Aita is pronounced: I-ee-tah

Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Three: The Son of Neptune**

Percy Jackson swore as he avoided the snake haired ladies again. They'd been relentlessly chasing him for two days now, and he was getting sick of it. No matter what he tried, he couldn't seem to kill them for good. He's stab them with his sword, they'd disintegrate into dust, then reform and the cycle would repeat.

"Hold still!" Euryale said. Her face was morphed into a scowl, which looked fairly intimidating, what with her boar tusks, red eyes and snake hair.

"Don't you want a free sample?" Stheno asked.

"No thank you!" Percy called as he ran away. His legs were getting tired and his arms felt like lead, but he had to keep going. He had to find safety.

He ducked into an alleyway, and cursed. It was a dead end. He turned around to run back, but the gorgons beat him. They were both grinning maliciously, and their pointed teeth didn't help.

"Well, well, well," Euryale purred. "Look what we've got he-"

She was cut off by an arrow embedding itself in her neck. She exploded into golden dust. "Euryale, no!" Stheno cried. Before she could do anything, however, another arrow found its mark in her forehead. She exploded too.

Percy uncapped his sword and whirled around. A figure jumped down and landed a few feet away from him. The man wore black combat boots and pants, with a light black vest over his torso. He wore black gloves on his hands and a hood over his head. A sword was strapped to his back and a dagger was on his waist. In his hands he held a black composite bow studded with celestial bronze.

"Who are you?" Percy asked. He raised his sword.

The man removed his hood, revealing black hair and purple eyes. "A friend."

'Why are you here?" Percy asked.

"I'm here to help you. There's someone hunting you. Someone you can't face alone."

"Who?"

"A Giant. His name is Agrius."

"A Giant?"

"There's no time to explain. Come on!" Aita grabbed Percy's wrist and began to run down the streets of San Francisco. As they ran, Aita remembered the details of his mission…

 _Hemera smiled. "Then let's get started."_

 _She spread her hands and a shroud of mist formed between them, almost like an Iris-message. Within the frame was a boy of about sixteen with jet black hair and sea green eyes._

" _This is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," Hemera explained. "Currently, he's headed for Camp Jupiter, the home of the Roman demigods."_

" _Roman?" Aita asked._

 _Hemera pursed her lips. "I forgot, you weren't around when Rome was founded. Let me see…how do I…ok, so it's like this: after you faded, there was this huge conflict called the Trojan war. Long story short; Troy lost. One of the survivors, Aeneas, took a bunch of refugees to what would later become Italy. Then, a few centuries later, his descendants: Romulus and Remus founded the city of Rome. The Romans later went and sacked Greece, ending most of the Greek empire. The same thing happened again and again, all the way up until now. The current home of the gods is a young country called the Unites States of America."_

" _Seriously?"_

 _Hemera nodded. "Oh, yes. It was quite interesting to watch. Anyway, the Romans later adopted the Greek gods as their own, but changed their names and demeanors. An example of this is Zeus. The Romans called him Jupiter, and while he remained king, he became much more strict, respectful, and less likely to have affairs with women who weren't Hera, er, Juno, in this case."_

" _And this happened to all the gods?"_

" _All the major ones, though some of the lesser ones were forgotten or simply didn't change. Helios and Selene, for example, were completely forgotten by the Romans, so they faded. Your wife, Hecate, and my sister, Nemesis, simply stay in one form no matter what."_

 _A lump formed in Aita's throat at the mention of his beloved. "I see."_

 _Hemera nodded. "As I said, Zeus and Hera became Jupiter and Juno, respectively. Poseidon became Neptune, Hades became Pluto, Demeter became Ceres, Hestia became Vesta, Ares became Mars, Hephaestus became Vulcan, Hermes became Mercury, Aphrodite became Venus, Athena became Minerva, Dionysus became Bacchus, Artemis became Diana, and Apollo stayed Apollo."_

 _Aita nodded. "And…have my siblings changed much?"_

 _Hemera put a hand under her chin. "Not too much. Apollo remained just as foolish and arrogant and Artemis was still as cold and distant as ever. They only really changed after…you."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _When you faded, it left a hole in them. Apollo filled the hole with lovers and Artemis filled it with hunting and hating. They both miss you, even to this day."_

" _Can I see them?"_

 _Hemera spread her hands. "I will not stop you, but I believe it would be a mistake to reveal yourself before you have even begun. The return of a faded god would cause quite the stir on Olympus, believe you me. Gaea has spies everywhere, and will likely learn of your return within hours. Your mission will go much smoother if you remain in the shadows. Once you have finished and our debt is paid, then you may return to Olympus. I swear on the River Styx."_

" _And…Hecate? How has she been?"_

" _Not well. She was completely inconsolable for a century or two, but she hasn't gotten much better. She spends most of her time in isolation in the Underworld. She toys with the mist, keeping secrets and telling lies. She has taken lovers, and mothered children."_

 _Aita flinched. "She wouldn't."_

 _Hemera raised an eyebrow. "No? Think about it; if your lover were to suddenly be removed from the world, you'd be crushed. You'd likely seek salvation in the arms of another. You'd likely fall for another set of lips, another warm embrace, another co-"_

" _Enough!" Aita said. "I will not hear any more!"_

" _Then do not ask," Hemera said. "I was simply informing you now so you wouldn't find out later, under less favorable circumstances."_

 _He nodded. "I…suppose I understand. Thank you."_

 _Hemera paused. "There is one more thing…last year, the Titan king, Kronos rose from Tartarus again. He was able to convince most of the minor gods to join him…including Hecate."_

 _Aita whirled around. "You lie!"_

 _Hemera raised an eyebrow. "What ulterior motive could I have that would make me deceive you? Hecate felt ignored by the mortals and the Olympians, so she joined the side she believed would benefit her most. In the end, the Titans lost, and Hecate was forgiven, thanks to Percy Jackson." She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I get no pleasure from this, but you must know. If we are to cooperate more in the future, we must be honest with each other. I will hold no secrets from you, so long as you swear to aid me until this is over and Gaea is defeated. Do you wish to continue?"_

 _Aita nodded mutely. "The Jackson boy, what must I do?"_

 _Hemera looked away. "You must protect him. Hera has taken it into her mind to swap two of the Roman and Greek demigods. She has chosen Percy Jackson, and Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."_

" _Will I be protecting him, too?"_

 _Hemera shook her head. "He is already safe. The same cannot be said for Mr. Jackson, however. I believe Gaea has sent one of her minions after him. I cannot be certain, but I believe it is Agrius, the bane of Hebe. You will only defeat him if you and Percy work together, so make sure he is brought to New Rome alive."_

 _Aita nodded. "Yes, my lady."_

 _Hemera scoffed. "I thought I told you not to call me that. Anyway, I had this made for you." She waved her hand, and a large box appeared at their feet. Aita bent down and opened it. Inside, he found an outfit._

" _I don't know," He confessed. "Black isn't really my thing."_

" _I didn't think so, but if you wish to remain inconspicuous, you will need dress like it. I also had the liberty of preparing some weapons as well." She snapped her fingers and a sword, bow, quiver, hunting knife, and a belt of throwing knives appeared next to the box._

 _Aita quickly put on all his gear and pulled the hood up over his head. He held his bow and fastened his quiver. "Wish me luck!"_

"Where are we going?" Percy asked as they ran.

"Somewhere safe!" Aita answered back. "But we can't slow down, something's coming!"

"What?"

"A giant!" Aita looked over his shoulder. "A creature powerful enough to destroy gods, and they can only be defeated by a god and demigod working together."

"What do they want?"

"The absolute destruction of Olympus. To raze the ground and wake their mother, the earth goddess, Gaea."

"Then why are they after me?"

"They seem to think you're of some greater importance than you know. If they capture you, they'll use your blood to wake Gaea."

"What?"

Aita nodded. "Hera also has high hopes for you. She thinks you'll be able to lead a group of demigods to the defense of Olympus."

Percy stopped and braced his hands on his knees. "Hold on, hold on. This is crazy. I don't know anything about giants or Gaea or Olympus or even who I am! How can I _possibly_ lead a group of people like me?"

Aita turned around and put his hand on Percy's shoulder. "I can't answer that. You'll need to figure that out on your own, but what I can tell you is that everything will begin to make sense, soon. But until then, I need to get you to New Rome."

Percy gulped. "How long until we get there?"

Aita looked down the hill they stood on. "We're almost there. You see that highway? New Rome is just down there."

Percy followed his gaze. "But…there's nothing down there."

Aita smiled. "I'll show you the entrance. Come on, I want to get there before-"

"Look out!" Percy shouted. He tackled Aita to the ground just as a massive spear lodged itself in the ground where they had been standing. Aita was up in a second, bow and arrow ready.

The giant appeared from behind a tree. He was tall, about fifteen feet tall, with a bronze breastplate. His legs were reptilian and white as snow. His face was old a wrinkled, so he looked like a dumpy grandfather. His grey hair was pulled back into dreadlocks. His eyes were dull and grey, so he looked blind. He strode up to his spear and pulled it out of the ground.

"Welcome, Percy Jackson," The giant bellowed. "My name is Agrius, and I'm here to capture you!"

"What do you want?" Percy asked. He was trying to stand, but it looked like he was being crushed by a giant foot.

Agrius laughed. "To take you prisoner, of course! My brother, Polybotes, wants you taken unharmed, so if you cooperate, I promise to be gentle."

"Ok, no," Percy said as he got to his knees. "I'm not going with you."

Agrius smiled. "Do you feel strange, son of Neptune? I must apologize for that. I was born to be the anti-Hebe, so I am anti-youth. In my presence, knees turn to mush, the brain gets soft, and your body fails. I make all feel the pain of old age!"

Aita nocked an arrow. "Not me, giant."

Agrius cocked his head. "And who are you? I don't think I remember you."

"My name doesn't matter. All that matters is, I'm going to destroy you."

Agrius threw his head back in laughter. "Well than, come and try me, demigod!"

Aita smiled and fired an arrow straight into the giant's breastplate, which did little more than annoy him. Agrius growled and advanced, jabbing his spear at Aita, who sidestepped and drew his sword. Faster than the giant could process, Aita slashed his blade across his opponent's face.

Agrius dropped his spear and covered his face with his hands as he stumbled back, blinded by rage and pain. Aita took that moment to rush over to Percy, who was still struggling to stand.

"Can you fight?' Aita asked.

Percy nodded and drew his sword. "I…I'm good. Let's do this."

Suddenly a massive hand grabbed Aita from behind. The hand turned him around so he was facing Agrius, who had a massive scar running from the top right of his forehead to the bottom left of his cheek. He began to squeeze Aita, who struggled to free himself.

"I will crush you like a gnat!" The giant bellowed. "I'll grind your bones to dust! I'll make your skin into my loincloth! I'll-ARGH!"

Percy had stabbed the giant's leg, forcing him to drop Aita, who rolled away when he hit the ground. As the giant struggled to free the sword, Aita drew his own blade.

When Agrius saw, he scoffed. "You think you can defeat me, demigod? I am only vulnerable while a god and demigod work together!"

Aita smiled. "Then we're in luck."

A look of fear and realization crossed the giant's face just before Aita charged and stabbed the giant in the neck. Agrius faded into a metal breastplate and gold dust. Aita picked up Percy's sword and tossed it to the half-blood, who caught it easily. It seemed Agrius' magic had worn off.

"What now?" Percy asked.

"Now," Aita said. "You go alone. There is your destination." He pointed to a small door in the side of the tunnel that the highway went through. "It is there that you will find your way, but I can aid you no more."

Percy swallowed. "What will I find?"

"Yourself."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, that's…yeah." He began to walk away, but stopped. He turned back. "Thanks. For saving me, I mean."

Aita smiled. "It was my pleasure."

Percy ran down the hill. As he watched the entrance, Aita felt a slight headache, but decided it was nothing. He closed his eyes and teleported back to the Mansion of Day.

-o-

"Well done!" Hemera complimented. "Now Gaea has one less giant, and we gained a powerful ally."

Aita nodded. "Percy Jackson will prove to be a most useful asset in the future."

Hemera nodded. "I agree. You have proven yourself more than capable of completing the missions I assign. I'm glad."

Aita nodded. "As am I. What's next?"

Hemera's smile faded. "In the last war, Kronos and his allies were aided by a massive corporation known as Triumvirate Holdings. It is headed by three ancient Roman emperors who have used fear and forced-worship to transform them into god-emperors. They have supplied weapons and armor to enemies of the gods for centuries, and their ability to become immortal must not be allowed to spread."

Aita's eyes narrowed. "Where do I begin?"

"The best way to kill a snake is to cut off its head, or in this case, heads. If you kill the emperors, their followers will scatter and their empire will crumble. You must seek these men out on your own, and deal with them…permanently. This will aid you."

She held out her hand and in her palm appeared a metal spear. "This was the weapon of Diomedes, who used it in the Trojan War to injure Aphrodite, thanks to the improvements made to it by Athena. It is one of the only weapons in existence that can truly harm an immortal. Pierce them in the heart, and they will die, once and for all."

Aita took the spear and examined it. "How can I find them?"

"Their men will give you the answers you speak. The first emperor's main base is in New York. He owns warehouses all over the city. Find it, kill all those inside, and obtain his location. Once that is done, find him, and end him."

Aita nodded. "Tell me his name."

"Nero."

* * *

A/N: Ok everyone, if you enjoyed then please leave a review saying if you liked it or not, they honestly make my day and it only takes a few seconds to write one. If you want to be up to date on when I post new chapters, then please favorite and follow.

See you all soon. Bye!


	4. Chapter 4

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Four: The Beast**

Aita crept silently into the large warehouse. It wasn't very hard to find, considering that several large cyclops were guarding the outside. Aita made short work of them. After that he'd climbed to the top level and crawled through an open window. The brick building was about three stories high, with an endless maze of shelves and corridors going in all directions. He saw several guards patrolling the complex; demigods with assault rifles, monsters with clubs and even a hellhound on a leash. Small vehicles zipped by, carrying crates and other supplies. Aita noticed a truck was being loaded by several workers, and that most of the vehicles seemed to be dropping boxes there.

Aita silently jumped from shelf to shelf. It would be easy enough to pick them all off, one by one, but he couldn't risk Nero being alerted to his presence and making an escape. He was going to leap to another shelf, but two voices stopped him.

"Hurry up! His majesty wants this shipment out of here as soon as possible!" It was a man in a black tuxedo. He was yelling at a young man in a neon vest and an orange hardhat.

"His majesty isn't even here!" The younger man yelled. "Besides, he said that he wanted these vials of Greek Fire loaded _last_ so there's no risks! But if you want to call him and explain what the holdup is, be my guest."

"Fine." It sounded like Tuxedo Guy was speaking through gritted teeth. "Just be ready to ship out when everything else is loaded."

"Yes, sir," The younger man muttered sarcastically as his superior walked away.

Aita brought two fingers up to his ear and spoke into the earpiece he'd been provided, "Hemera, Nero's not here. What do I do?"

It was quiet for a moment. "Kill anyone inside, then burn the warehouse. See if you can't, ah, _convince_ one of the men to tell you where Nero is."

"Will do, out," Aita said as he cut the communication. Taking a look around to make sure nobody was near, he leapt down behind the man and silently cut his throat. Then he hid the body in one of the boxes. Deciding that the man in the tuxedo was the one most likely to be in charge, Aita decided to question him.

Peeking from behind the corner of one of the shelves, Aita noticed two men trying to operate a forklift. Aita dove out from behind his cover and fired two arrows at once. The men fell dead with an arrow in each of their necks. As he went, he placed explosive arrows on anything that could have been flammable.

Aita finally found the Tuxedo Man walking into a side room; most likely the man's office. Aita turned himself into a fly and crawled under the door frame.* The man was hunched over a computer, massaging his temple. Aita assumed human form again and walked up behind him.

Pulling out his hunting knife, Aita grabbed the man from behind and hauled him to his feet. When he started to struggle, Aita pressed the blade against the man's throat. The man stilled.

"Where's Nero?" Aita asked.

"I-I don't know," The man whispered.

"You're lying."

The man did his best to shake his head. "I'm not, I swear! We don't know where he goes until he gets there!"

"Then there's no point in letting you live."

"W-wait!" The man cried. He reached out and grabbed a piece of paper from the desk. "This is a shipping manifest of everything coming in and out of New York in the next month, I'm sure he'll be here somewhere!"

Aita took it and put in his back pocket. "Thanks."

The man swallowed nervously. "A-and now you'll let me go?"

In response, Aita slit the man's throat. He turned back into a fly and flew out of the warehouse. Once outside, he took a vantage point on top of a nearby building. After shifting back into human form, he waited for his arrows to go off. Five minutes later, the warehouse was consumed by massive green flames which incinerated anything inside; be it weapons, armor, or people.

Deciding that he was finished, Aita calmly turned around and leapt from the rooftop, leaving no sign he had been there.

-o-

"Nero wasn't there," Aita said as he stormed up to Hemera. "Only a few of his men and some monsters."

Hemera put a hand under her chin. "Strange. My sisters assured me that he would be there."

"You think he knew I was coming?"

Hemera shook her head. "How could he? We made sure that nobody but us knew you were going to be there. It must have been a coincidence, you will get him next time."

Aita held up the shipping manifest. "And now we know when and where he'll be."

Hemera took the slip of paper and began to read it. After a moment she nodded. "On June 4, there's to be a massive shipment of weapons and armament heading into New York. Nero will surely be there to oversee it."

Aita nodded. "That's what I thought too, but June 4 isn't for another few weeks. What do we do until then?"

Hemera shrugged. "Get some rest. You've been gone for a long time. Perhaps it's best to reacquaint yourself with the modern world."

Aita raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Hemera smiled. "Well, in recent decades the mortals have figured out how to use electricity to power machines."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. Now they entertain themselves with things called television and computers." She summoned a black rectangular device with buttons all over it. "Why don't I show you how they work?" She pressed a button and a large appliance on the wall flickered to life.

Aita turned from the device to Hemera and found her sitting on one of the many velvet couches that were present in the room. "Sit down," She said with a small smile. "It's much more enjoyable this way."

Aita did so and turned his attention back to the television. Hemera began to flick through the channels, and Aita couldn't help but be astonished by what he was seeing. Mortals made _this_? He would have to give Prometheus his compliments when he saw him next.

"Since we have a lot of time to kill, I figured that we'd start big," Hemera said. "How about we watch Game of Thrones?"

"Game of Thrones?"

Hemera nodded. "It's considered one of the greatest shows in recent history, and it's coming up on its seventh season."

"Season?"

"Seasons are basically the number of episodes included within the show's yearly runtime. There are around ten episodes per season, and each episode's around an hour long, so each season is about ten hours with commercials."

"Commercials?"

Hemera rolled her eyes. "Just sit back and enjoy the show."

"But what happens if we run out of episodes? Are there other things to watch after that?"

"Hundreds."

Aita's eyes widened. "There can't be that many shows out there. Where could you even find them?"

Hemera smiled. "My friend, wait until I show you Netflix."

(Line Break)

*Since Aita is a god, he can transform himself into any form he wants.

A/N: Ok everyone, if you enjoyed then please leave review saying what you think, if you enjoyed the story so far, or if you have a question you want answered. If you want to know when I'm updating please favorite and follow, it really helps me get motivated and honestly makes my day. I know this was short, but I should have another chapter up in the next two days, if not tomorrow, so hopefully that'll make up for this chapter.

Side note: since this is a fanfic, normal canon is completely out the window right now, so don't expect this to follow the same story as the books. Also, since Aita's working from the shadows to disrupt Gaea, most of the main characters won't appear until the end parts. Finally, I think this story will last for between twenty and thirty chapters, but since I haven't decided how long each chapter should be, I can't be entirely certain.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Five: Manhunt**

 _Artemis pulled the string on her bow as tight as she could. She aimed her shot for the deer's eye. Just as she was about to release her grip, a small rock sailed over her head and hit the ground next to the deer, who ran away in fear._

 _Artemis whirled around and glared at the intruders. "Curse you two! I almost had it!"_

 _Two forms materialized from behind the trees, laughing. Apollo strode forward and wrapped an arm around Artemis's shoulder. "C'mon little sis, don't act that way. We don't even need to eat, so what's the point?"_

 _Artemis shrugged off his hand. "First of all, I am_ not _your little sister! Second, it doesn't hurt to be prepared, so leave me alone."_

 _Apollo looked skeptical, so Aita spoke, "She's nervous, Apollo."_

 _Artemis blushed like a tomato. "I am not!"_

 _Aita raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I am."_

 _Artemis and Apollo looked surprised. "For real?" Apollo asked._

 _Aita nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm so nervous I can barely think straight. I mean, we'll finally be seeing Olympus, receiving our domains, and taking seats on the council. Who_ wouldn't _be nervous?"_

 _Artemis and Apollo both looked down at their feet. Apollo looked up sheepishly. "I'm nervous too."_

 _Artemis nodded as well. Aita put a hand on their shoulders. "It's ok, we'll be together, so we have nothing to worry about."_

 _Artemis and Apollo smiled and pulled him into a group hug. They were only pulled apart by their mother calling for them. They walked out of woods and saw their cabin, their mother and a young girl standing on the beach._

 _Leto pulled her children into a crushing hug. After a long minute she pulled back and looked at each of them, tears in her eyes. "No matter what happens," She said in a fragile voice. "you're mine. Mine to me. Don't let anyone separate you, and don't let anyone put you down. Do you understand?"_

 _All three gods nodded. Leto turned to the young girl with her. "Take good care of them."_

 _The girl nodded. "You have my word." She turned to the young gods and said, "My name is Hestia. I was sent to guide you to Olympus by your father."_

 _The newest Olympians nodded and stepped forward. "Everyone, hold hands," Hestia said. Artemis and Apollo glanced at each other and stepped away from each other. Aita rolled his eyes and took one hand of Apollo and Artemis each. The two then took hold of one of Hestia's hands, and the eldest Olympian flashed them off of Delos._

 _When they materialized, the triplets' mouths dropped. The city of Olympus spread out behind them; large silver and gold temples as far as the eye could see. Above them, the clear sky sparkled with constellations. In front, the large council chamber rose to the sky._

" _Come," Hestia said. "they're waiting for you."_

 _She opened the door and walked inside. The two oldest walked behind her, and Aita was just behind them. As he walked, Aita's stomach dropped. His mother always told him how the Olympian Council was a proud, fair group that spoke in leveled voices and were patient with all matters._

 _Instead, the room was filled with the sounds of shouting. He saw his father, Zeus arguing with Poseidon and Hera. Hephaestus and Ares were screaming at each other while Aphrodite watched on in amusement. Athena chattered on while Demeter scowled and crossed her arms.* As he watched his family fight, he realized something:_

 _He didn't want this._

 _He didn't want to argue with his siblings and family like they were children. He didn't want to earn the ire of some other deity just because he disagreed with them. He didn't want to be angry at those who didn't share his opinion._

 _He didn't want to be an Olympian._

 _The room was silenced when Hestia grew to her twenty-foot-tall form and took her seat on her throne. "My lord," She said. "I have done as you asked."_

 _Zeus nodded. "Thank you, sister. My children, come forth."_

 _They silently walked forward. Hera muttered, "Oh yes, welcome, bastards." But was promptly shut up by Zeus's glare._

" _Artemis," Zeus boomed. "as the eldest, you shall receive your domains first. Proceed."_

 _Aita noticed the Fates sitting in front of the thrones, their ball of yarn held in their hands. Artemis gulped and stepped forward._

" _Child of Zeus," Said the Fates. "You shall be the goddess of the hunt, the Moon, chastity, animals, and the wilderness. And sit upon the council, you will."_

 _Artemis bowed deeply and stepped aside. Aita nudged Apollo forward when the elder brother hesitated._

" _Phoebus Apollo," They said. "you shall have dominion over light, healing, music, poetry, archery, reason and prophecy."_

 _Apollo smiled and stepped aside. Finally, Aita stepped forward. The Fates looked at him for a long minute before they said, "Aita, you shall be granted dominion of light, music, peace, warmth, joy, and the wilderness, but you will not sit upon the Olympian council."_

 _Aita was stunned for a moment before his shock turned to relief. "What?" Artemis asked. "What do you mean he can't be on the council? This must be a mistake!"_

" _We do not make mistakes, child," Clotho said. "Fate never makes a mistake. Your brother shall remain a minor god until he fades."_

" _But-but," Artemis stammered. Aita held a hand up. "Enough, Artemis. If Fate decrees that I am not to serve on the council, then I will not protest, and neither will you."_

 _Artemis looked like she wanted to argue, but Aita turned and bowed. "Father. I'll not hold up this council any longer. You have two new gods to welcome, after all."_

 _Before anyone could object, he turned on his heel and walked toward the door._

 _The room swirled in a haze of black smoke. When the room cleared he was in laying in a large bed with white sheets. The small room was lit only with candles, and there were no sounds save for the breathing of the room's two occupants._

 _Hecate had her head on Aita's chest, drawing little circles with her fingers across his left bicep. She had dark hair today, with mesmerizing blue eyes.** They were both naked except for the thin blanket draped over them as they both rested._

 _Aita closed his eyes and thought with content over everything he had to be grateful for. He was a god, had two loving siblings who annoyed him to no end, a mother who spoiled him rotten every chance he got, friends both mortal and immortal, and a beautiful wife whose body fit with his so perfectly it was like Chaos itself had molded them for one another._

 _Hecate stopped her ministrations and looked him in the eyes._

 _Aita arched an eyebrow. "What?"_

 _Hecate smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you."_

" _I love you too," Aita said immediately._

 _Hecate sat up. The sheet fell away from her, exposing her perfect skin and Aphrodite-level body. She smiled down at him as she straddled him. "Can you believe we're married?"_

 _Aita began to rub up and down her hips. "I'd be a fool if I didn't. The wedding was only a few hours ago."_

" _Your sister looked like she wanted to skin me alive."_

 _Aita smiled. "She's always like that. You should see her when Apollo flirts with her Hunters. I don't even think a_ titan _would attack her when she's that angry."_

 _Hecate smiled sweetly and began to rock her hips back and forth, eliciting a groan from her husband. She loved to tease him. He loved making her happy. It was a win-win._

 _She bent down and whispered, "I love you."_

 _Again, Aita said, "I love you too."_

 _Then she kissed him. Her lips were soft and melded perfectly with his. Soon they were lost in a battle of lips, teeth and tongues._

 _The bed collapsed beneath him, and suddenly Aita was in a large cavern. The ceiling was far above him, so he had to strain his neck to see the top. He looked around him, and found three men speaking in loud tones._

" _Sixteen warehouses!" A man with curly brown hair, a beard, and blue eyes shouted. "We've lost sixteen warehouses in less than a month! How do you explain that?"_

 _A man with a large belly and neckbeard waved his hand. "Relax, Commodus. This new adversary will soon be dealt with."_

 _Commodus threw his hands into the air. "How? So far none of our men have been able to kill him! We don't even know where he'll strike!"_

 _The third man stepped forward. He had short blonde hair and piercing brown eyes. "We will soon. Nero, is our new friend cooperating?"_

 _Nero nodded. "Don't worry, Caligula, he'll soon have control over Delphi, and then the future will be ours."***_

 _Their conversation became muffled, and Aita tried to get closer to hear them better, but soon he felt the mist begin to constrict around him. The black smoke solidified into light brown scales, which stretched into a long, trunk-like body. A deep hissing filled the room, which Aita thought sounded like laughter._

" _Soon…" Said a voice in the darkness. A pair of yellow eyes appeared, the rest of the face obscured. "We shall meet soon, little hero. I will enjoy the taste of your flesh as I devour you."_

 _The body began to squeeze, and Aita could feel his bones breaking under the pressure, just as it became too much, the world and the snake vanished…_

Aita woke with a start, sweat dripping down his forehead. Gods did not usually sleep, but recent weeks had left him exhausted. It was June 4, and the time was approaching for him to find Nero. In the last three weeks he had destroyed sixteen warehouses, disrupted thirty supply deliveries, and killed over two hundred men. Suffice it to say, Triumvirate Holdings knew something was after them.

Hemera walked into his bedroom and threw his uniform onto his lap. "Get dressed, it's time to…everything alright?"

Aita nodded mutely. Hemera pursed her lips. "Very well, get your things ready, it's time to go."

-o-

Aita watched the men load the trucks for transport. They were just outside one of the larger warehouses in New York and had nearly eight trucks full of supplies. As the last of the trucks were loaded, Aita leapt from his vantage point and shifted form mid-flight. His arms turned to wings, his skin to feathers, and his mouth and nose elongated into a beak. Soon he was flying across the sky as a raven; his sacred animal.

He began to follow the trucks as they wove their way down the many streets of New York, leading him to his prey.

-o-

The sun was at its peak when the trucks arrived at their destination. They pulled into a massive warehouse so large it could've fit half a dozen football stadiums inside it and still have some room left over. As the men began to unload the trucks, Aita returned to human form. He waited for the trucks to be emptied and driving off before he made him move. He summoned his bow and released an explosive arrow at one of the large metal doors, which exploded upon impact.

Aita dropped his bow in favor of the Spear of Diomedes and sprinted through the smoking doorway. He expected to find some factory workers, some security guards, and one soon to be dead emperor.

Instead, he found himself surrounded.

Demigods, monsters and mortals surrounded him. Some wore armor and wielded weapons while others pointed machine guns at him.

"This is a trap," He said aloud.

"Quite right!" A voice called. The phalanx of demigods surrounding him parted. A teenager with curly hair and a cruel sneer walked forward. He was wearing a sleeveless Cornhuskers T-shirt and jeans. His arms were covered in scars and muscles. At his side is a golden sword.

"Well, well, well," The boy said as he circled Aita. "so this is the one who's been causing such a ruckus these past few weeks. Can't say I'm impressed."

"Who are you?" Aita asked.

The boy smiled and put a hand on his chest. "I am Lityerses, reaper of men! My friends call me Lit, but you will call me Death!"

"No thank you," Aita said. He looked around at the guards. "You knew I was coming."

Lityerses smiled. "Of course we did! Lord Nero's newest ally gave us all the information we needed."

"Newest ally?"

Lityerses nodded. "A powerful one, too. He's taken control of the Oracle at Delphi. Soon he'll control the others as well."

"Who is he?"

Lit brandished his sword. "It doesn't matter. You have no hope of stopping him. He nearly killed Apollo, back in the old days. He would've killed Leto as well, had she not escaped."

Aita's stomach dropped. He remembered an old story his brother had once told him; how he'd truly become the god of prophecy, and the monster he'd had to kill to earn the title…

Lityerses must've seen him pale. The boy smiled. "So you know? Good. Our ally will prove most beneficial. Soon, he will control all the oracles, and we will control the future itself!"

Aita brandished his spear. "No, you will not."

Lityerses threw his head back and laughed. "You have courage, I'll give you that. I will grant you a warrior's death. Nobody shall interfere, everyone understand?" His men nodded.

Aita's spear vanished and he unsheathed his sword. He knew the Ancient Laws would not allow him to attack first, so he waited for his opponent to challenge him. Lityerses did so.

He charged Aita with his golden sword, and the god blocked with his own blade. Lit slashed and stabbed, but Aita was fast enough to block his strikes. As he fought, a part of Aita was saying, _don't fight blindly, study his patterns._ And so he did. Lityerses was all offense, no defense. This worked in Aita's favor.

Aita spun and slashed forward with his sword. Lityerses caught it on his own, and Aita tabbed forward, hunting knife suddenly in hand. Lityerses was so focused on Aita's sword he didn't notice the knife until it was in his gut.

The Reaper of Men stumbled back, one hand going to the knife in his side. He tried to pull the blade free, but he was too weak. He let out a final battle cry and charged. Aita caught the blade with his own and pulled his knife free. Lit fell to one knee, grasping his side. Quick as a flash, Aita raised his sword and brought it down on his opponent's neck.

The Reaper of Men's head rolled across the floor.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then one of the monsters let out a war cry and charged, followed by the others. Aita waved his hand and a moment later, instead of armed warriors, a swarm of cockroaches fled to the cracks in the walls and floor. Aita bent down and picked up Lityerses' sword. Artemis had told him more than once that it was appropriate to collect a trophy from a successful hunt.

He spent the next few minutes lining the warehouse with explosives. As he walked away from the complex, the ground shook from the force of the explosion, and the building was reduced to rubble.

Aita teleported to the House of Day, determined to inform his host of the disturbing news that had come from this excursion.

-o-

"You're certain?" Hemera asked.

Aita nodded. "There's no other way they'd know we were coming. In my dreams, I heard a raspy voice, deep and gruff, just as my brother once told me. Gaea has raised her son, Python."

A heavy silence fell over the room at the mention of the great serpent.**** While Hemera thought, Aita fought to swallow a lump that had formed in the back of his throat. He remembered Apollo's tale of how he'd defeated the monster. The Muses liked to sing and cheer about how Apollo had destroyed the monster with a single arrow, but Aita knew better.

One day, after the battle, Aita had gotten Apollo drunk on wine and Nectar, and Apollo had let slip the true tale. Teeth as long and sharp as sabers, terrible yellow eyes, skin so thick it was almost unbreakable, and his breath…strong enough to kill mortals and greatly weaken immortals. If he had risen again, and was taking control of the Oracles…

Aita shuddered. _No, it won't happen_ , Aita thought, _I won't let it._

Hemera shook her head as though to wipe away any thoughts that she didn't like. She turned back to Aita, face stern. "We will deal with Python and the emperors in time, but another threat has risen."

Aita's fingers curled into fists. "What must I do?"

"The giant Polybotes is leading an attack on New Rome. Journey there, stop him, and remain there until I tell you to return. The Greeks are sailing on a massive warship. You are to stay and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Aita nodded. Hemera put a hand on his shoulder. "It is imperative that you remain vigilant. This could be the first step to a peaceful coexistence between the Greeks and Romans, we cannot let them go to war, or the results could be disastrous."

Aita nodded. "I won't fail."

* * *

* Since Hermes wasn't born until after Apollo became a god, he wouldn't be there. Dionysus was also not around at this time so Hestia would still be on the council.

** In some myths Hecate is said to have three forms, and that she can appear as each one to different people.

*** Even though the third emperor hasn't officially been announced, in The Dark Prophecy there's a line about someone called the White Horse, which is something Caligula was called due to the fact that he let his prized horse become a high priest.

**** On the official Riordan Wiki Python's called a dragon, but in the Hidden Oracle it says that there were piles of snake skin covering the floor where Apollo and Meg see Python. Also, his name is kinda a dead giveaway.

A/N: If you enjoyed then please leave a review telling me what you thought; they only take a few seconds to write and they honestly make my day whenever I get a new one. If you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a PM or review asking it, I'll be more than happy to answer. Finally, please follow and favorite so you can be alerted to when I upload.

Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Six: Camp Jupiter**

The battle was raging…and the monsters were winning.

Aita watched as an army of demigods-the Twelfth Legion, Hemera had told him-fought hordes of six armed monsters, which he remembered were called Earthborn as they were the children of Gaea. Massive scorpions fired bolts of green fire into the ranks of the monsters, but for every one that was killed, a dozen more seemed to emerge. A massive gray elephant stomped around, but it was quickly becoming overwhelmed. As he watched hundreds of Romans fight and pray, a small tugging sensation was felt in his gut and a splitting headache took him by surprise. He gasped and rubbed his forehead.

 _Are you alright?_ he heard Hemera say through his ear. He shook his head. "I'm fine, Hemera. What do I do?"

 _Take care of the giant. The Legion will handle the rest._

He nodded and began to sprint down the hill toward the thirty-foot-tall monstrosity. The giant was as ugly as Agrius; with his wild green hair, blue skin, scaled legs and bronze armor carved to resemble the faces of monsters. In his hands he wielded a massive trident and a net. Two massive phalanxes surrounded the giant, though he shook his head and large snakes dropped from his hair whenever they got close. Up above, a girl wearing golden armor over a white robe rode a Pegasus. The giant shook his head. The girl swooped down and tried to stab him with her spear, but Polybotes swung his massive trident and the Pegasus dodged.

Aita brandished his swords-both his own and Lityerses'-and slashed and hacked through a sea of cyclops. Polybotes was at least a hundred feet away, but that didn't deter Aita, who continued to carve a bloody path through the invading monsters. Above him, he saw giant eagles battling two gorgons in the sky.

Just as he was about to reach his target, a massive cyclops appeared, brandishing a massive spiked club. "Out of my way!" Aita shouted as the monster raised his weapon. Quick was a flash, Aita leapt through the air a cut the head off his enemy before he could register what had happened. The club slipped from his grasp and crushed his body before it turned to golden dust.

By now only half of the remaining demigods surrounded Polybotes. The rest were either fleeing or desperately trying to douse the flames on their armor, weapons, and clothes. _Basilisks,_ Aita thought, _those snakes are basilisks._

Just as he reached the phalanx, he leapt up with the grace of a jaguar and aimed for Polybotes. The giant saw him out of the corner of his eye and stepped to the side, avoiding Aita's sword. He rolled and recovered quickly, twin swords twirling.

The giant scowled. "Who are you?"

Aita pointed his sword. "Your death."

Aita charged. Polybotes swung his massive trident. Aita parried it with one of his swords and made to stab at the giant's fingers with the other. Polybotes staggered back, unharmed. Aita stepped back, careful to avoid tripping or straying too close to his enemy's reach.

The two cohorts watched the fight intently, keeping enough distance between themselves and the combatants to ensure nobody else got hurt while staying close enough to cut off any possible escape routes.

Polybotes snarled and threw his net. Aita leapt out of the way and then rolled at a giant trident slashed where his head had been. The girl sailed down and stabbed at the giant's neck, providing an opening. Aita would've taken it if a sudden flash of irritation came over him. The giant swept his feet out from under him with his trident and would've impaled him if Aita hadn't rolled out of the way in time.

 _What's happening?_ Hemera demanded. _What's wrong?_

"Nothing!" He snarled. "I'm fine!"

Polybotes laughed. "Is that the best you can do, little one? I expected better!"

"Ask and you shall receive!" Aita said. He vaulted to his feet and charged again. Polybotes caught his blade with his own, but Aita twirled around him and slashed across the back of the giant's thigh. Polybotes fell to one knee with a roar of agony.

Aita was panting, his brow covered with sweat. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him, or why he was having such a hard time killing this giant. It was almost like a large gong was constantly being hit behind his eyes.

Polybotes rose to his feet, his eyes filled with malice. "You…you will die slowly."

Aita dropped his swords and clutched his head, the pain almost unbearable now. _Aita! Is everything all right? Do you need…_ He didn't hear the rest as the pain was so all consuming it threatened to tear him apart. Finally, he let out a bloodcurdling scream and was forced to reveal his true form; the light that was released forced everyone to shield their eyes for fear of being incinerated by his presence.

For a long minute, there was silence…

When the light faded, all eyes fell upon a new figure. He was on one knee, looking down, the spear of Diomedes's point in the ground. The figure wore a black tunic under plate armor. On his arms and legs were vambraces and greaves. His head was covered by a closed metal helm. In his left hand he held a shield and in his right he clutched the shaft of his spear.

"Who…who are you?" The giant took a step backwards, fear evident in his eyes.

The figure rose to his full height and smiled through his helm. "Who am I? That's a good question." He looked at the assembled army. "I think I used to be called Aita…but…who am I?" He glanced down for a moment. He smiled and faced the giant again. "Hear me!" He shouted. "I am Sorus, youngest son of Jupiter and Latona, brother of Apollo and Diana! God of warmth, joy, and music!" He pulled the spear from the ground and twirled it until it was pointed at the giant. "And I will destroy this menace."

 _What the Hades…_

* * *

A/N: I just want to say I'm s-o-o-o sorry that this is late. My week was spent either doing school work, working, or writing my newest story. I had originally intended to hold off on revealing Aita's Roman form, but then I thought 'Hey, he's in New Rome, so why not!?' I know this wasn't terribly long, so I'll try and make the next one by the end of this week (if I'm lucky). If you enjoyed, please leave a review saying what you thought. If you want to keep track of this story, then follow and favorite. One final thing: I've been thinking about adding a cover image to this story, so if you all either want to make one or suggest one, either PM me or leave it in a review. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Real quick, I just want to inform you all that I updated the rating from T to M. Don't worry, this isn't going to mean there's going to be any gratuitous violence or harsh language, in fact, nothing's going to change until the very end of the story. I only increased the rating because there's going to be a rather, ahem, _intimate_ scene between Hecate and Aita at the very end that some of the younger viewers (if there are any) might not be comfortable with.

Lightwalnut64: what does Sorus mean? or Aita for that matter?

They don't really _mean_ anything. Aita came from the Etruscan word for "Underworld" and Sorus comes from an old Italian deity that was worshipped as a sort-of war god back before Rome was founded and they adopted and renamed the Greek pantheon.

Thisisaname42: The gods revived a roman form because the romans worshiped them but no roman has worshipped Aita so he shouldn't have roman form.

The way in which the Roman gods came to be isn't exactly specified, so I can only assume that they were just a manifestation of the aspects that the Romans respected most like strength, courage, honor, discipline, etc. Since the Roman demigods were praying for help, those traits in Aita were brought to the surface and they formed a conscious of their own.

* * *

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Seven: The Other One**

Polybotes and Sorus circled each other slowly; trying to determine the best method of attack. Around them, the legion shifted nervously, watching the combatants. Polybotes roared and swung forward with his trident, but Sorus caught it with his shield. He thrust his spear, but it bounced harmlessly off the giant's breastplate.

Sorus leapt back gracefully, avoiding the giant at each step. Polybotes thrust his trident, but Sorus evaded and surged forward. He drove his spear into the giant's throat. Basilisks fell, but Sorus extended his hand and they burst into flames. Polybotes fell to his knees, one hand clutching his neck.

"C'mon," said Sorus and he slowly circled the giant. "you can do better than that."

"DIE!" Polybotes roared as he sprung to his feet and jammed his trident into the spot where Sorus had just been. This song and dance continued for several minutes: Polybotes would attack, Sorus would either dodge or strike back, leaving the giant bloody and disorientated.

Polybotes was slow and clumsy, while Sorus was fast and agile. While Sorus was certainly slowing the giant down, he was doing little more than annoying the big blue bully. Most of the demigods were too injured or frightened to help, and Reyna was busy battling the gorgons above them with her Pegasus.

"Romans!" She called. "Rally to the eagle!"

Everyone turned. Barreling toward them on a hellhound was Percy Jackson, a golden eagle clutched in his hand.

"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. " _What is this?"_

Percy raised the eagle and shouted, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!" Jets of electricity surged from the standard, frying any monsters nearby. The legion cheered. Jackson handed the standard to another officer and approached.

He raised his sword, but horns sounded over the fields. Another army appeared over the northern hills: dozens of girls dressed in black and gray camouflage. For a moment Sorus thought that they were Diana's Hunters, but then he noticed that they all seemed to be in their upper twenties, all too old for Diana.

They charged down the hill and rammed through the monster forces. Polybotes roared in protest. Percy Jackson stepped forward. "Do I know you?"

Sorus nodded. "We've met. I helped guide you here."

"That was you?"

Sorus shrugged. "You could say that."

"Enough!" Polybotes said. "I will destroy both of you, here and now!"

"You can try, ugly," said Percy Jackson. "You wanna help me kill a giant?"

Sorus grinned. "Let's do this."

They charged. The battle was relatively short. Polybotes tried to skewer Percy, but Sorus caught his blow with his shield and stabbed at the giant's knee. Percy leapt up, using Sorus' shoulder as a launch pad and stabbed the giant in the forehead. All that was left was seaweed, reptile skin, and poisonous gunk.

Around them, the battle had ended. The Amazons and Romans crowded around them. They began to chant: "Percy! Percy!" and mobbed him. They raised him up on a shield and the chant changed: "Praetor! Praetor!"

As they led him away, Percy searched the crowd for the one who'd helped him, but found nothing. Meanwhile, from a spot on the senate house, Sorus watched with pride as the Romans carried their new praetor back to Camp Jupiter.

-o-

The Feast of Fortuna went off without a hitch, much to Sorus' pleasure. Amazons mingled with Legionaries, and the new Praetor was invited to practically every table. After hours of feasting and partying, the two groups settled down for the night and New Rome fell silent under the watchful eyes of Terminus.

Sorus sighed as he looked over the quiet city from atop the highest level of the colosseum. It was jarring, to be sure, but it felt…nice…to be in a comfortable place. He'd remained there for several hours, and had no intention of moving unless absolutely necessary. He held his spear in one hand, his helmet tucked under the other. His shield was on his back, resting comfortably. Aita was quiet, deep within their shared mind; perhaps the transformation had been so traumatic he still needed time to recover.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," said a voice from a few feet behind him.

Sorus turned and found a woman in a golden sundress looking at him, her face a mix between curiosity and amusement. He placed his helmet on the shaft of his spear and knelt. "Lady Dies"*

The goddess raised an eyebrow. "While I appreciate the respect, I prefer to remain in this form."

"And I prefer to speak with a Roman goddess," he said before he could stop himself. When he realized what he'd said he winced. "My apologies. I didn't mean to sound so disrespectful."

Hemera was quiet for a moment before she sighed and rolled her eyes. For a moment her form blurred and changed. Her sundress was replaced by golden armor over golden robes. Gauntlets and greaves were over her arms and legs, respectively. Her honey-colored hair changed from free-hanging to a fishnet braid over her left shoulder. Placed over her forehead was a golden circlet inlaid with sapphires that matched her eyes. The hilt of a golden sword poked up over her right shoulder.

"Better?" the goddess asked.

Sorus nodded but remained on his knee. Dies rolled her eyes and said, "Rise, son of Jupiter."

Sorus did so. "What are you doing here? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

Dies took a step closer. "I came to see you."

"Really?" Sorus asked, eyebrows raised.

Dies nodded and looked him over like he was a magnificent trophy. "Oh, yes. My other half and I were quite surprised by your emergence. We didn't expect you to even exist."

Sorus nodded. "I did not intend-or know-that I would come out. I didn't even know there was a _me_ until this afternoon. Neither of us did."

Dies was silent for a moment. "How is he?"

Sorus turned around and looked over the city of New Rome. "He's fine. I can feel him, deep inside the recesses of our mind. My coming out was highly traumatizing for him, he'll need some time to recover."

Dies stepped next to him and looked out over the city. "Do you understand his mission?"

Sorus nodded. "Despite my mistrust of the Greeks and their history with my people, I know that Gaea is the greater threat, and I'll do my best to aid Aita in his task."

Dies nodded. "Good. You can't afford to let yourselves become divided. If we fail, hundreds will die."

"I won't let that happen," Sorus said with determination in his voice.

"Good," said Dies. She glanced at Sorus.

"What?" he asked.

Dies smiled. "Nothing. I was just taking note of the differences between yourself and Aita."

Sorus looked down at himself. The differences he shared with Aita were miniscule, but still noticeable. Personality wise, they seemed to be relatively the same: cheerful, serious, and loyal to a fault. It seemed that Aita was Roman enough to begin with. As for appearance, that's where most of their differences lay. Sorus was roughly a foot taller than Aita, with larger muscles and a body that was better suited for close quarters and agile combat, as opposed to Aita's slimmer body which favored stealth and mobility. They had the same eye and hair color, though Sorus' came down just passed his shoulders whereas Aita preferred to keep his hair short and tidy.

"Do these differences disturb you?" he asked.

Dies laughed. "Oh, on the contrary, I very much prefer them. It makes it so much easier to enjoy your company, no matter what form you take."

Sorus smiled. "I'm glad I could be so amusing."

Dies turned on her heel and began to walk away. "Good night, Sorus."

He turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Good night, Lady Dies."

-o-

The Amazons left the next morning before most of the legion rose, but Sorus saw the female praetor give the queen a hug before they departed. Most of the senate was gathering to discuss the approaching Greeks. Sorus watched as the new praetor-Percy Jackson, he seemed to recall-and his friends argue in favor of letting the ship approach while the blonde augur screeched and squealed about why they shouldn't.

Sorus scoffed in disgust at his nephew's paranoia and xenophobia. _There are more dangerous things rising, boy,_ he thought. _You'll need the Greeks if you want to make it to the end of this war._

Sorus suddenly looked up when he felt something descend from on high. A massive wooden ship was coming through the clouds, a blonde boy in a purple toga at its head. Percy Jackson led a beefy boy and a dark-skinned girl outside, following the other centurions and senators to meet the ship. All over New Rome more citizens came out to gawk and point at the massive contraption.

 _Don't do anything stupid,_ came a voice in his head.

 _Good morning, Aita,_ he thought back. _Have a nice rest?_

He thought he heard a scoff (if that was possible to do in one's mind). _Don't patronize me. Just be on the lookout. If Gaea were to try anything, now would be the time._

Sorus nodded. _I agree. I'll do my best to make sure nothing unpleasant happens._

It was quiet, so Sorus assumed Aita was satisfied with his answer. Suddenly the ship stopped descending and remained stationary. After a few moments a rope ladder was dropped over the side and four individuals climbed down.

The first one was a blonde-haired girl with gray eyes. The next one was the boy in the purple toga. Next to him was a girl with messy brown hair and a dagger at her side. The final one to descend was a boy who constantly fumbled with things in his toolbelt and seemed to twitch every few seconds.

The legion parted before them until they met Reyna and Percy. They chatted for a few minutes before the blonde girl charged Percy, who rushed to meet her. They kissed and Sorus felt a twinge of jealousy spark within him that he felt Aita shared as well. It had been so long since they'd been with their beloved that it was almost painful to watch others be happy.

The girl promptly flipped Percy over her shoulder and exchange a few words with him before she let him up and all the assembled forces set up shop in the forum and began to eat. The augur and the two (three) praetors exchanged some back and forth before the twitchy one took the augur aboard the ship. The blonde boy and the one with the dagger left soon after and praetor Reyna led the blonde girl away to speak in private.

 _Things are going well,_ Aita said.

 _I agree,_ Sorus said back. _But I'm still keeping my eye out for trouble._

 _Good. If Gaea tries anything we need to-_

BOOM!

Sorus' gaze snapped up as the warship began to fire on New Rome. He was paralyzed with shock as the Romans quickly began to mount a defensive. A large dragon quickly soared into the sky with two demigods in its clutches. At the ladder, more demigods were climbing as quickly as they could as the augur reached the bottom, screaming for blood.

"Dies," Sorus said, panic in his voice, "we've failed."

* * *

* Yeah, Hemera's Roman form is Dies. Weird, right?

A/N: Sorry for being a day late everyone, but I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions, or suggestions for some cover art, please PM me and I'll get back to you. Please leave your thoughts in a review because they help me get motivated to make more chapters. Follow and favorite if you want to be alerted to when I next update.


	8. Chapter 8

Guest: when is Sorus/Aita going to be reunited with Artemis and Apollo? and his wife?

Not until the very end of this story…like, the last chapter. I'll let you know beforehand.

* * *

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Eight: Nero**

"What happened!?" Hemera demanded.

"I have no idea," Aita said. "One minute everything was fine and the next the Greeks were firing on the Romans."

Hemera balled her fists. "Gaea must have done something to sabotage the ship. She's crafty, I'll admit."

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we _can_ do," Hemera said, "loath as I am to admit it."

"There must be _something_."

Hemera put her hand under her chin. "Maybe there is something…"

"What?" Aita asked.

Hemera looked up. "The augur, Octavian, has whipped the Romans into a frenzy. He's got them preparing for a full-scale attack on Camp Half-Blood."

"What do I do?"

"Eliminate him."

"What?" Aita asked. "There must be another way."

Hemera's face softened and she put a hand on his shoulder. "I wish there was, really, I do. But Octavian has proven himself a war mongering and unstable leader. If he is allowed to continue, the entire Legion could suffer."

Aita looked down. "I…I understand," he said after a minute, "I'll leave for Camp Jupiter immediately."

Hemera nodded. "How's Sorus?" she asked after a minute.

Aita turned around. "Contained." Then he was gone.

-o-

Aita stood on the northern hill of Camp Jupiter. He watched as hundreds of soldiers ran around, strengthening their defenses, carrying weapons and armor, and preparing for a long-haul across-country. In the center of it all, Octavian screamed at the top of his lungs and waved his hands around frantically while a large group of younger demigods raised their fists and weapons in anger and screamed their grievances to the gods.

Deep within him, Sorus was stirring. His Roman half sympathized with his people and wanted to see justice delivered, but Aita forced those thoughts down. He opened his hand and a large, black composite bow appeared in his hands. On his back was a quiver full of ebony-black arrows. He reached behind him and pulled out a single arrow and nocked it carefully into his bow. He raised the bow and aimed.

Deep down, he felt a sense of sorrow at what he was doing; after all, this boy was technically his great-great-great-grandnephew, and Aita had no pleasure in killing family. He closed his eyes and swallowed his hesitance; there was no use trying to wait. For the greater good, Octavian had to die.

He opened one eye and pulled the drawstring back as hard as he could. He hoped Apollo would forgive him. Hundreds of pounds of pressure wound as tight as they could, and one target.

Aita released the string.

The arrow soured through the air so fast that it was only noticeable to godly eyes. For a solid ten seconds there was nothing but silence as the arrow sped toward its mark. Then Octavian's head snapped back with such force that his neck broke and he fell back, an arrow dead-center in his forehead, eyes rolled back and mouth open mid-shout.

The Romans surrounded his body, worry and fear palpable.

"Hemera," said Aita, "it's done."

Then he was gone, leaving no trace that he had been there in the first place.

-o-

"It's done," Aita said. "Octavian is dead."

Hemera nodded in satisfaction. "Good. The Romans will still wage war on Camp Half-Blood, but at least we've slowed them down."

Aita nodded. "Now what?"

"Now, we kill Nero."

"You've found him?"

Hemera nodded. "He's staying in the penthouse suite of the Mandarin Oriental in New York. Go there, pierce his heart with your spear, and we will have dealt a serious blow to Triumvirate Holdings."

Aita nodded. "I won't fail."

"I don't expect you to," Hemera said kindly.

-o-

The hotel was so large that it seemed to scrape the sky. It was made of white concrete, with large windows as tall as the eye could see. Balconies extended from doorways cut into the side of the building, with ornate chairs and tables spread out. Potted plants hung from the railings. A man in a dark suit with white gloves held the door for men and women as the bustled about.

 _Here we go,_ Aita thought. He began to walk toward the door. He was sure that the doorman was going to give him a onceover and tell him to get lost; what with his black stealth suit, bow, knives, and swords, but all he did was nod politely, open the door and wave him inside with a pleasant "Morning."

The lobby was wonderful, with velvet rugs and expensive leather couches lining the walls. Detailed paintings hung delicately, and a massive glass chandelier hung in the center of the room. Columns held up the ceiling, and rich folks in suits or elegant gowns either chatted with one another or spoke in hushed tones into small bricks in their hands.

Aita made a mental note to ask Hemera about that later.

He walked up to the front desk where a middle-aged woman was doing a crossword puzzle. She looked up when he stopped in front of her. "Can I help you?"

"I'd like the key to the penthouse, please," he said.

The woman looked surprised. "I'm sorry, sugar, but I can allow you to"-he snapped his fingers-"What was I saying? Oh, yes! Here you are, sir." She handed him a small golden key. "Enjoy your stay!"

He smiled pleasantly. "Thank you." The elevator began to ascend slowly as classical music began to play over the speakers.

When he was about five floors below the penthouse, he said, "Don't do anything stupid, Sorus, or I'll tighten that leash of yours."

They had arrived at the penthouse floor, and when the doors opened, a man in metal armor stepped out.

"Don't you threaten me, Aita, or you'll find yourself riding shotgun more and more." He donned his helm and summoned his spear. The pushed the key into the doorknob and turned. The door clicked and slid open silently.

The penthouse was absolutely gorgeous, with expensive rugs covering the floor and windows that gave an amazing sight of the expansive New York skyline. Sorus' attention, however, was drawn to the man standing in front of the window.

He was dressed in an expensive purple wool Italian suit and golden chains that hung from his neck, and Sorus was tempted to strangle him with them. On his feet were hand-tooled leather shoes. His target: Nero.

Next to him was a small girl with dark hair that reached down to her shoulders. She wore a green dress with yellow leggings and red shoes. Two golden rings were on her middle fingers, and the man had his hand on her shoulder, looking proud.

Sorus took a step forward and raised his spear to throw it, but Nero spoke, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

The god-emperor turned. Sorus had to stop himself from gagging. The man looked like a hippopotamus, with his bloated belly and hideous face. His mouth was fixed into a permanent sneer while his curly hair extended into a wraparound neck beard that fell past his incredibly weak chin. The girl had glasses and looked at him blankly.

Sorus shrugged. "Are you talking about the city or you? Because one looks impressive and the other…less so."

Nero's smirk thinned. The girl paled and stepped back. Nero laughed and waved his hand. "You're funny, you know that? Can I offer you some wine?" He snapped his fingers and two servants appeared from another room. One was carrying two glasses while another a pitcher. They poured the wine into the glasses and handed one to Nero, who took it and sloshed the drink in his hand.

Sorus waved his hand and the servant bowed before retreating from the room, soon followed by the other.

Nero took a long sip before he smacked his lips and set his glass down. "Delicious."

Sorus arched an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd ask if you were Bacchus's son, what with the fat gut and party-beard."

Nero's eyes seemed to darken. "And what do you know, if I may be so inclined to ask?"

"I know that you're Nero, also called the Beast for your practice of burning Christians alive. I know you're a descendent of Apollo, and that you ruled Rome as emperor. I also know that you forced others to worship you to become a god, and that you've spent millennia preparing to destroy Olympus."

Nero spread his arms. "You've clearly done your homework, young man. I never would have believed Python's warnings had they not had merit. You've been quiet the busy bee, haven't you? Destroying over a dozen warehouses in such short time must be quite the endeavor. How do you do it?"

"Why don't you come down here and I'll show you," Sorus said.

Nero laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, I'll just leave that to others." He turned to the girl. "Megan, dear, kill him please."

The girl lunged forward, her golden rings turning into scimitars. She slashed forward and Sorus probably would have been killed if it weren't for his godly speed. He twirled and kicked the girl into a wall. She went limp.

Nero pursed his worm-like lips. "Hm. Impressive. There aren't many demigods who can match my Meg's speed or reflexes."

Sorus' eyes widened before he began to laugh. Nero's face twisted in irritation. "What's so funny?"

Sorus put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. After a moment he managed to recover and began to walk in a semicircle around Nero. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Clearly Python has yet to regain full control over the Oracle of Delphi," said Sorus, "or he would've informed you that I am no mere demigod."

Nero scoffed. "Then what are you?"

Sorus smiled wickedly. "I am Sorus, brother of Apollo and Diana, I am a god."-he leveled his spear-"And now, nephew, I will destroy you."

Nero's eyes widened. He grabbed his wrist and spoke into a golden wristwatch. "I need help! Get up-urk!"

Sorus had sprung forward and stabbed his spear through Nero's chest, right where his heard was. He grabbed Nero's neck and pushed the spear in deeper. "You are no god," he said. "You are nothing but an ant to be crushed beneath my boot."

He pulled the spear from his victim, and the skin on Nero's face began to grow paler and paler. His hair turned gray and began to fall out in large clumps. His face became covered in wrinkles and his eyes dimmed.

In a matter of seconds, the Beast went from a somewhat young man to an old, decrepit crone. His skin and hair turned to dust and all that was left was a purple suit and pearl white bones, which shattered when they hit the ground.

"No!" Meg cried. She was standing in the middle of the room, clearly having woken from her bout of unconsciousness. Her swords were in her hands, though they were dipped so low they were touching the floor.

"You killed him!" she cried. She leapt at him again, but her caught her by the neck. She flailed in his arms and tried to get free, but his grip remained firm.

 _You'd better hurry,_ said Aita. _You've only got a few more minutes before security shows up._

Sorus closed his eyes and read the girl's mind. He saw Nero kill her father and claim that it had been the Beast. He saw Nero raise her as his own, training her and shaping her to be a merciless killer. He opened his eyes.

"The Beast is dead," he said.

Meg stopped flailing. "You're lying."

He shook his head. "I'm not, I swear it. Nero and the Beast were one in the same. He's been using you from day one."

"You're lying!" she cried. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm not," Sorus said. "He killed your father. He took you from your home and manipulated you into being his puppet."

"No," Meg whimpered.

 _One minute,_ Aita said.

"It's true, Meg. Nero and his allies are evil manipulators who care for nobody but themselves."

"I don't believe you!"

 _Thirty seconds._

"Then let me show you! Come with me, and I can prove it to you. Please, Meg."

She hesitated for a long moment, but then she gave a small nod.

 _Ten seconds._

Sorus threw her over his shoulder, shouted "Hold on!" and ran toward the window. The doors to the penthouse burst open, and Sorus jumped through the window, Meg screaming from his shoulder.

Then they were gone…

-o-

"What were you thinking!?" Hemera asked frantically. "How could you bring her here?"

Aita shrugged. "Technically, _I_ didn't bring her here."

Hemera narrowed her eyes. "Don't be coy with me, Aita. Why is she here?"

"I'm right here, you know," Meg said from her place on the couch. Her legs were bound with rope and her arms were tied behind her back.

"Quiet!" both gods said.

Aita crossed his arms. "I wasn't about to abandon her, Hemera. I'd never forgive myself if I did."

"Then why not drop her off at Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter?"

Aita's eyebrows rose. "Are you joking? Both those camps are about to go to war, and monsters and giants and immortal, evil emperors are everywhere. There's no way she'd survive."

"Thanks," Meg muttered.

"Quiet!" both gods said.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Hemera said.

"Then you can get rid of her," Aita said.

"Wait, what?" Meg said.

After a minute Hemera put a hand to her temple and sighed. "Fine. Do what you want, just don't be surprised if she betrays you and I say 'I told you so.'"

Aita smirked. "I have faith in her." He walked over to where she was and pulled out a hunting knife. She yelped when he slashed forward with the knife but all he did was cut through her bindings on her legs. He then reached behind her and cut her arms free.

"Thanks," she muttered as she massaged her wrists.

"Don't make me regret this, little girl," Hemera said from just behind Aita. He threw a half-hearted glare over his shoulder. "You aren't making this easy, Hemera."

"Well, excuse me for being a little concerned about letting the daughter of one of our targets continue to breathe."

"You're a primordial. Why not just snap your fingers and turn her into a rat or something?"

Hemera crossed her arms. "Because you trust her, and I trust you. But if she proves to be a liability, I'll dispose of her."

"I'm sure she can be of some assistance."

"Is that right? And how exactly can she provide some 'assistance?'"

"I can help," Meg said.

Aita turned and raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I can tell you where to find Commodus."

* * *

A/N: If you guys enjoyed than please leave a review telling me what you thought, if you had any questions, or anything wise. If you feel like continuing this story than please follow and favorite and you'll be alerted as soon as I update. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me and I'll do my best to answer.

One last thing: would you guys be open to seeing a few chapters that are told from the POV of Artemis, Apollo, Hecate, etc. that would basically about them dealing with Aita's "death" or would you prefer we stay focused on Aita. Let me know in a review what you want.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Just before we begin, this chapter will have a lemon in the beginning, so if you aren't into that then scroll past the indented words.

* * *

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Nine: New Allies**

" _Why are you here?" Hecate asked._

 _Aita chuckled. "Can't a man visit his beautiful wife when he wants?"_

 _Hecate rolled her eyes. "I would appreciate it if you gave me a heads-up beforehand. I look dreadful."_

 _Aita looked her up and down. She was hunched over her work table, her back to him. She wore a dark green robe that did wonders for her figure. Her red hair was flowing freely down her back in curls. He found a rather wonderful sight just below her waist._

" _I think you look fine," he said._

 _Hecate glanced over her shoulder. "My eyes are up here."_

 _Aita rolled his eyes. "Just enjoying the view."_

" _Pervert." There was no real disgust or malice in her words—just slight exasperation mixed with a hint of affection._

" _You knew what you were getting into when you married me."_

 _Hecate's lip twitched up. "Why are you here?"_

" _I thought we could get some lunch and then fool around afterwards."_

 _Hecate stifled a groan. That sounded absolutely wonderful. Despite her not needing mortal food, her silly husband had gotten her hooked. Not to mention fooling around and having a little fun sounded like heaven…_

" _I can't."_

" _Why not?"_

" _I'm_ so _close to finishing this mist-form that I can practically taste it."_

 _Hecate's ears perked up when she heard Aita's feet move. Normally he was more stubborn when it came to getting his work done. Hecate made a mental note to make it up to him later._

 _A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a pair of lips started massaging her collarbone. Aita pressed his body against hers, and she could feel her husband's member pressing against her butt through her dress._

" _How about," Aita whispered in her ear, "we skip lunch and jump straight to fooling around."_

 _Hecate sighed sadly and turned her body. She gave his lips a quick kiss. "I can't, baby. Another time, I promise."_

 _Aita pressed his lips together. "Fine. But I'm staying here until you finish."_

" _Deal."_

 _He gave her one more kiss and stepped back. She was already missing him. Reluctantly, she turned back to her work. He paced behind her, coming to a stop in front of one of her work-tables. He braced his hands against the surface and pressed down several times._

" _Hmm," he said._

" _What is it?" she asked, not turning around._

" _There's something wrong with this table," he said._

" _What?" She whirled around. This couldn't be. If any part of her equipment was damaged, then she would know. "What's wrong with it?"_

" _Come see."_

 _She walked over and pushed down on the table. Beside a slight squeak, there was nothing of major issue._

" _What's the problem?" she asked, confused._

 _She yelped when he grabbed her from behind and lifted her onto the table. He pulled her to him so they were as close as could be. He put one hand on her butt and the other on the small of her back, keeping her close._

" _The problem," he drawled, planting kisses on her neck and chest, "is that I haven't fucked you on it yet."_

 _She squirmed against him. She_ really _needed to get back to work. But…_

 _Noticing her tension, he stopped his kisses and locked eyes with her. "Do you want me to stop?"_

 _Her better judgment argued against continuing, but her heart was pounding in her ears and the heat between her legs made her want to scream with excitement._

" _Just fuck me already," she said, attacking his lips with her own and wrapping her legs around his waist. "I'm yours."_

 _She whimpered when he pulled away, only to yelp with surprise when he reached around her and pulled the garter holding her robe up. The light cloth fell down past her stomach and her breasts were exposed to the light._

 _Aita wasted no time and attacked them, sucking on one nipple while he pinched and fondled the other one. Hecate threw her head back and moaned, putting her hands on Aita's scalp as she pushed him into her, forcing him to continue his ministrations._

 _He sucked on the other breast, biting at the nipple, which caused Hecate to squirm and moan even louder. He reached down with his other hand and ran his fingers along her wet folds. She shivered and tightened her legs around him._

" _You're so wet, babe," he said, an arrogant smirk on his lips. "You must really want me."_

 _She kissed him hard and ran her tongue across his lower lip. He gladly opened his mouth for her and her tongue darted into his mouth. They fought for several moments, each trying to gain dominance until Aita slipped a finger into her, causing her to gasp and lose concentration. Aita took the opportunity to push his tongue into her, exploring her mouth and leaving no spot untouched._

 _She pushed him off and gripped his shoulders._

" _I love you," he said._

 _She gave him a devious smirk and tugged at his tunic, ripping it down the middle. He unfastened his belt and removed his trousers. Hecate leaned over and began to place searing kisses on his shoulders, chest, and neck._

" _You want me?" he asked._

 _She looked up at him. "You know it, baby."_

 _He didn't need any further encouragement as he threw the rest of her robes over his shoulder, flipped her over on the desk as she was lying on her stomach, and positioned himself at her entrance._

 _She looked over her shoulder and nodded once. He slammed himself into her, causing her to cry out and him to sigh. He started off slow, letting her get used to his girth, before he sped up. She gripped the ends of the table, her knuckles turning white as he hit a spot that made her go cross-eyed._

" _Gods, I love you," he said, kissing her back and neck._

 _She smiled back at him. "I love you too," she moaned._

 _He gripped her hips and continued to pump into her, the sound of slapping skin and lusty moaning filling the room. As he reached top speed he felt his climax begin to build._

" _I'm gonna…"_

" _Me too," she said breathlessly. "Inside. Do it inside."_

 _He continued to thrust in and out until his orgasm slammed into him like a brick wall. He moaned as he came, Hecate's walls constricting around him as she rode out her own orgasm. He collapsed on top of her, out of breath._

 _He began to fall back when his back hit something soft and comfortable. He looked around and found himself lying on a king-sized bed. "What the…?"_

 _Hecate giggled as she rose to her feet. "A little basic magic, my love."_

 _He smiled and nodded. "Of course. You and your hocus-pocus," he muttered. "I guess this means you aren't in the mood for lunch?"_

" _Well…" she drawled as she climbed on the bed, "I suppose I could use something to eat."_

" _Really? What are you in the mood for?" He began to get up to fetch his clothes when he felt a hand on his chest, pushing him back down._

 _She planted a kiss on his lips before continuing down his cheek, neck, chest, and stomach. "I was thinking we could eat out."_

" _What do you—ah!" he gasped as a pair of lips closed around his manhood._

-o-

Aita's head popped off his pillow, forehead drenched with sweat. Of all the dreams he'd had since his return, that had been the most vivid and explicit. He wiped his forehead with his arm and pulled the covers off. He was dressed in a pair of black athletic shorts and underwear. He climbed out of bed and changed into his all black jerkin and leather breeches, and slipped his feet into his boots before finally wrapping his belt across his waist. His hunting knife was at his waist, while his bow and swords were sheathed, ready to be summoned at a moment's notice.

He took a breath and opened his door. He walked through the House of Day until he found the dining room, which looked like it could fit an entire army. Meg was at the table, digging into a plate of breakfast sausages.

"Good morning, Aita," said Hemera, walking into view with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Hey," he said.

Hemera cocked her head. "Something wrong?"

"No, just…dreams."

Hemera nodded in understanding and took a sip of her coffee. Aita took a seat at the table and glanced at Meg, who stopped eating and looked at her lap.

"Don't be nervous," he whispered. "We won't hurt you."

"She will," Meg said, glancing at Hemera, who raised an eyebrow—clearly un-fooled by Meg's not-so-subtle attempt at whispering.

Hemera cleared her throat. "As you know, our next target is Commodus. He's currently in Indianapolis, trying to gain the Dark Oracle."

Aita shuddered. Apollo had been most annoying with his constant boasting about his Oracle of Delphi, but had warned others of the dangers of consulting with the Dark Oracle. Most went mad, and the others refused to speak of their encounters.

"The only problem," Hemera continued, "is that we don't know exactly _where_ in Indianapolis he is."

"I do," said Meg, munching on one of her sausages.

Hemera sent her a glare. "Yes, and you will be telling us exactly where he is when you two get there."

"What?" he said, surprised. "She's coming too?"

Hemera nodded. "Her knowledge of the inner workings of Triumvirate Holdings makes her a valuable asset."

"Thanks," Meg muttered, then shrunk under the glare Hemera gave her.

"I don't suppose you have a place we can stay while we're in Indianapolis?" Aita said.

Hemera smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do. There's a place called the Waystation situated above Union Station. The residents there offer shelter to any demigods who need protection, and would likely be more than willing to help you destroy Commodus."

Aita nodded. "And after he's dead, we find Caligula."

Hemera nodded. "I'll be consulting with my sisters while you're away to see if we can pinpoint his location. Good luck, my heroes!"

-o-

Indianapolis was a rather empty place, save for the headless monsters that roamed around, waving happily to each other and passing mortals.

"What are they?" Meg asked as they walked along the road, unnoticed by the pedestrians and monsters.

"I don't know," Aita answered, "but let's not find out."

Meg nodded and continued to follow. It had been decided that she'd reveal Commodus's location after they got to the Waystation, where they'd be able to coordinate a proper attack with their new hosts.

They stopped in front of a large building with the sign _Union Station_ above the entrance. Aita looked around. "It cant be this easy," he muttered. Then he glanced to the side and perked up. "That's more like it…"

He walked over to the wall and began to run his fingers over it. _Here we go…_

"What are you doing?" Meg asked, shifting nervously.

"There's a secret doorway behind this wall," he said."

"And you know that _how_?"

"My sister, Artemis. She used to _love_ hiding secret passages all over Greece. Taught me a trick or two about spotting them."

"Ah…"

"Don't move!" said a voice from above them. They looked up.

Aita gasped, and for a moment his heart stopped. The woman reminded him of Artemis. She held a bow in her hands and wore a silver tunic like the Hunters used to. The only difference was that she was old, and Artemis usually stayed as a teenager or young kid.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, pulling on the string of her bow.

Aita put his hands up. "Easy now; don't do something rash."

"What are you doing here?"

He gestured to Meg. "This is Meg McCaffery, a demigod."

"And you?"

"Uh, gimme a sec," he said. He brought his thumb up to his lips and bit down until blood stained his teeth. When she saw the golden ichor, she gasped and lowered her bow. "Who—"

"I'll explain everything later," he promised, "but can we come inside, please?"

She nodded and jumped down from her perch. Then she entered a sort of secret code into the wall and it slid apart, revealing a ladder that climbed up. The woman stepped inside and ascended. Aita and Meg followed soon after.

A little while later they reached the top and a door opened down the hall, revealing a cathedral-like hall with plenty of windows and furniture. Pens like those used for chickens was off to one side. A kitchen was off to one side.

"Mommy!" cried a voice. A moment later a little girl with brown hair and overalls came running out of the side room and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.

"Hi, baby," said the woman. A moment later they separated and the girl looked at Aita and Meg before hiding behind her mother's legs.

"Georgina," she said, "why don't you go get Mom and let her know we have guests?"

Georgina nodded and raced off, circling around Aita and Meg before dashing into another room.

"Sorry, she's shy," she said and stuck her hand out. "I'm Hemithea, but most people call me Emmie."

They shook her hand. "You've already met Meg, and I'm Aita."

Emmie's smile faded. "Have we met?"

Aita shook his head. "I don't think so, why?"

"Because your name sounds _really_ familiar." She thought for a minute. "Maybe—"

"Hello!" said a new voice. The newcomer had umber skin and a white buzz-cut, and a physique that made her look like a daughter of Ares—and yet, there was something innately familiar about her, like Aita had met her before…

She and little Georgina came up and gave Aita's hand a firm shake. "I'm Josephine, or Jose, or Jo, or whatever name you like."

Aita smiled. "I'm Aita; this is Meg."

"Hi," Meg said.

Josephine smiled. "Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Waystation."

* * *

A/N: Sorry this wasn't as long as some of you may have hoped, but Christmas is _kicking_ my _ass_ , what with getting a tree and presents and family get-togethers and work and school, my schedule's been pretty hectic, but I should have another chapter out before 2018. What did you guys think of the scene with Aita and Hecate? I only ask so I know if you'd be interested in seeing more, or if this should be a one-time thing until the end.

Also, I'd like to know if you'd like to see some POV chapters with other characters because the number of votes ended up being a tie, so just let me know what you think. I can't wait to get to the next chapter, because that's when we get more interactions with Aita and one of Hecate's children (Psst, it's Josephine in case you didn't know), and I'm so hype to see their interactions.

If you enjoyed, please leave a review and don't forget to favorite and follow to be alerted to when I update. One last thing: what do you guys think of the cover image? I just found it a few hours ago and I was like "holy crap that is exactly what I'm looking for!" Let me know in a review.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Ten: Revelations**

"So let me get this straight," Josephine said. "You've been sent to kill Commodus."

"Yes," said Aita.

"But you need our help and a place to stay to do so."

"Yes."

"But you have no idea where he is or how to get to him."

"That's right."

She gave him a long, hard look. "Why should we help you?"

"Because of you don't Commodus will level this city and rename it after himself."

"What?"

"It's true," said Meg. "He plans on killing everyone here and rebuilding the city in his own image."

"And how do you know this?" Emmie asked.

Meg swallowed and took a deep breath. "I used to work for Nero."

"Nero?"

"One of the other emperors," said Aita. "He killed her father and manipulated her into thinking it was her fault. Then he took her in and raised her as his own."

Emmie and Josephine's eyes softened. "Oh, you poor dear," said Emmie.

"She agreed to help me root out the false-gods and destroy them, so that's why she's here."

Josephine nodded. "And how do you plan on killing him once you find him?"

"With this—" He summoned the spear of Diomedes. "—It can mortally wound a minor god like Commodus if I pierce his heart."

"And how will you get to him?"

Aita opened his mouth but Emmie cut in, "Why don't we save that for tomorrow? It's getting late and supper will be cold if we don't eat soon."

Josephine nodded. "Right." She turned to Aita and Meg. "You two in the mood for chicken?"

Meg shrugged. "I could eat."

Jo smiled. "And you?"

Aita nodded. "I suppose so."

Emmie clapped her hands. "Wonderful! Come on, I'll get the food ready while you set the table."

-o-

Ten minutes later everyone was seated around a large wood table, passing around bowls and platters of potatoes, corn, bread and large thick slices of chicken meat. Meg looked like she had half her bodyweight on her plate, while Aita only had a few pieces of meat and a spoonful of corn. Jo, Emmie and Georgina had moderate helpings of everything, and were making polite conversation over their food.

"This is delicious," Aita said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Meg nodded and shoved another spoonful of potato into her mouth.

Emmie blushed. "Thank you. I mean I know it's not Ambrosia, but I still try."

"It's paying off."

Emmie smiled and took another bite. "You know, I swear we've met."

"Have we? I don't think so. I'm sure I would've remembered meeting someone like you."

"I don't know…" She turned to Josephine. "Doesn't he seem familiar?"

Jo squinted. "Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall hearing your name before. Were you and Lord Apollo friends at one point?"

Aita swallowed. "Once."

"What happened?" Georgina asked.

"We…drifted apart," he said, taking another bite. "I haven't seen him in millennia."

Jo and Emmie exchanged a look. "Why don't you go talk to him?" Emmie asked.

Aita thought for a minute. "Too much time has passed. I doubt he even remembers me anymore."

Jo waved a hand. "Bah! I'm sure if you remind him who you are, he'll remember you. He does seem to have a very vivid memory."

"That me does," Aita mumbled, taking a sip of his water. He put his glass down and looked around. "This place is amazing. Did you make it?"

Jo laughed. "Gods, no. Lady Artemis gifted it to us after we left her Hunters."

Aita raised his eyebrows. "You were both Hunters?"

Emmie nodded. "A long time ago."

"She let you live—you must've been on good terms."

Jo nodded. "We like to think so. In exchange we let her and the Hunters stay whenever they're in the area or need supplies."

"Just the Hunters?"

"Not always. If a demigod stumbles upon us we're more than happy to take them in until they're safe enough to venture out again."

"Very generous," Aita said.

"Thank you."

He turned to Jo. "I saw you working in a workshop when we got here; do you make the Waystation's weapons?"

She nodded proudly. "Sure do!"

"Your father must be Hephaestus, then," he said.

"Hecate, actually."

Aita's smile faded.

He looked up, fork halfway to his mouth. "What?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"My dad was a mechanic, but my mom's Hecate, goddess of Magic."

"That's…" He wanted to say _impossible_ , but that wasn't true. He could see why he'd recognized her: she had many of her mother's features—high cheekbones, slender build, that mischievous look in her eyes whenever she got excited or happy.

 _She has taken lovers, and mothered children,_ Hemera had said, but he'd refused to believe it; but now, there was no denying it.

His wife had sired children—children that weren't his.

"Are you alright?" Emmie asked. "You look like you just swallowed a big."

Aita opened his mouth, but then he saw Jo looking at them with those damned eyes of hers.

 _Her_ eyes.

 _I'll not welcome pity from a bastard!_ he thought. "Excuse me," he said quickly, pushing the chair out and storming off as quickly as he could.

Everyone looked at each other. "Was it something I said?" Jo asked. Meg shrugged and went back to eating. "I'll go talk to him," said Emmie, rising from her seat and following after Aita.

-o-

Aita sat down, legs dangling off the ledge of the Union Station rooftop. He let out a sigh. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ he chided. _What is wrong with me? Now I look like a fool._ Still, the thought of the bastard made his stomach tighten into a knot. This is all her fault. If she hadn't been born this never would've happened.

His throat clenched. He sounds just like Hera. How could he have fallen so far? He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Hemithea until she spoke: "Care to explain what that was about?"

Aita turned his head so abruptly he would've snapped it if he were mortal. "Did she ever tell you about me?"

Hemithea narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"Artemis. Did she ever mention me?"

"Why would Lady Artemis talk about you?"

Aita scoffed. "So she didn't mention her brother…"

Emmie crossed her arms. "She talked about Apollo all the time. Why would you ever come up?"

"Maybe because I'M HER BROTHER TOO!" he shouted, uncaring if anyone else heard. By now his anger and bitterness had been brought to the surface—anger about being forgotten by humanity, abandoned by his siblings, scorned by his wife, by everyone! Why should he help save them when they haven't done a thing for him in the past?

Emmie took a step backward. "What are you talking about?"

Aita stood up and stormed over to her. "My name is Aita, I'm Artemis and Apollo's younger brother. Hecate is my wife. She swore to be mine for eternity, yet she went and lay with other men. I faded because _your kind_ forgot about me; though it seems like they weren't the only ones." He turned around and walked back to his spot. "They forgot about me too." He didn't realize there were tears in his eyes until one landed on his hand. "Artemis. Apollo. Hecate. Mother. Father. They all forgot about me after a while. They never even told you who I was."

Hemithea was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke: "You're Lord Aita?"

He scoffed. "Don't bother with the formalities; I'm no god. Not anymore."

…

"They haven't forgotten you."

Aita turned. "Excuse me?"

Hemithea took a step forward. "Artemis and Apollo haven't forgotten you."

"They never spoke about me."

"Because when they tried they would barely be able to say your name before they broke down into tears." She knelt down net to him. "They were broken when you died. They're still broken."

Aita was quiet for a minute. "And Hecate?"

She shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. I never met my mother-in-law, but I can tell you that it isn't fair for you to take your anger out on Jo. She didn't ask to be born, and she sure as Hell didn't know about you, so lay off."

Aita glared at her. "I could destroy you with a flick of my pinkie."

"You could." She stood up. "Are you coming?"

Aita shook his head. "I need some time to cool off."

She nodded and went back inside, leaving the god alone with his thoughts.

-o-

A short while later, when the moon was high and the city quiet, Aita felt someone else step onto the roof.

Aita didn't turn his head. "Hey."

Josephine walked up until she was a few feet behind him. "Hi."

He patted the ground next to him. "Take a seat?" When she made no moves he said, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She silently sat down—though they were still several inches from touching. _She doesn't trust us_ , he thought.

 _Would you trust us?_ Sorus said. _Think about it: you show up out of nowhere—apparently having come back from fading—and claim to be her mother's husband. How do you think she was going to respond?_

 _Good point._

"So…" Josephine said.

"So…" said Aita.

After another long moment Josephine said, "You're my mother's husband."

Aita looked down at his feet. "And you're my wife's daughter."

She inhaled. "Are you going to kill me?"

Aita nodded. "Hecate would never forgive me if I did—and you have a daughter."

"So?"

"I can't deprive a girl of her mother just because of my feelings about her. I'd never forgive myself."

She chortled. "You're not like most godly in-laws."

"I'm not Hera, if that's what you mean; you didn't ask to be born, and I wasn't even around during the time—I have no place to decide your fate."

Josephine looked down at her lap. "I guess I should thank you for that."

Aita looked at her. "You look like her."

She looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes." Silence filled the air for several minutes. "What now?"

Josephine stood up. "Now, you tell us your plans for Commodus. Come on."

* * *

A/N: Please tell me what you thought, guys. This chapter was so much fun to write, even though not much action happened. If you want to be alerted to when I update then please favorite and follow. I probably won't get a new chapter out until after New Year's, so I will see you all next year. Bye!


	11. Chapter 11

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Eleven: The New Heracles**

" _You do know I can wash myself, right?" Aita asked._

" _I'm well aware," Hecate responded, massaging his chest with the sponge. They were in a wooden tub with steaming hot water that nearly reached the top. Hecate's hair was down her back and their clothes were neatly stacked and folded next to their towels. Hecate was sitting in Aita's lap, her wandering eyes taking in every inch of him. "I just feel like rewarding my hubby for being such a good boy."_

" _Hubby?" Aita asked, smirking._

" _It means husband, cutie pie," she said, taking a hold of his hand and running the soapy sponge up and down his arm._

" _You're being very affectionate today," he observed. "What's up?"_

 _She pecked him quickly on the lips. "Can't I show my husband how much I appreciate his loyalty to me?"_

 _Aita rolled his eyes. "I was only gone for two weeks."_

" _Two weeks with a bunch of young, lithe girls in the woods with no males for miles; some gods wouldn't be able to control themselves."_

 _Aita smirked. "I'm not most gods."_

 _Hecate smiled and leaned up to run her soapy fingers through his hair, giving him a rather generous view of her chest. "I know that, but I've seen the way you stare at that Castillo girl."_

 _Aita blushed. "She's beautiful, yes, but she swore an oath to my sister, and I'm—"_

"— _mine," she said, coming down to kiss his lips roughly. She forced her tongue into his mouth and for several seconds they battled for dominance. "You belong to me, Aita; no other woman can have you."_

 _Aita gripped her hips and gently lowered her onto his cock; they both groaned as he entered her. "I have missed this," he said, giving her butt a quick squeeze._

 _She giggled. "I know; it's one of your favorite parts, after all."_

 _As they gently began to make love, he asked her, "So when you say that I'm yours, does that mean that you belong to me?"_

 _She nodded and gasped. "I'm yours, until the end."_

 _He bucked his hips, moaning as her walls squeezed him just right. "Good, because I don't think I can share you."_

 _She smiled. "You won't have to." Then her lips met his in a ferocious duel of tongues, teeth and lips as their own respective climaxes overcame them._

 _Hecate sighed and rested her head against Aita's chest. "That was amazing; I love you, Aita…. Aita…Aita…_

"AITA!"

"Gah!" he yelped. He looked around and saw that he was sitting at the dinner table of Josephine and Emmie. _Must have been a daydream,_ he thought. Then he scowled. _I'm yours until the end, my ass._

"You okay?" asked Jo. Her arms were crossed and her face was scrunched up in a scowl.

Aita scowled. _Don't you make that face at me, young lady,_ he almost said, but decided on: "I'm fine."

Are you two almost ready?" Jo asked.

The plan was simple: use the Waystation's access to the sewers to get into Commodus's headquarters and assassinate Commodus without anyone knowing.

"I'm ready," Aita said. "How about you, Meg?"

"Huh?" the little girl said. She fiddled with the golden rings on her fingers and nodded mutely. "Uh-huh."

"Are you sure you don't want us to help?" Emmie asked. "If you get caught, you might need backup."

Aita nodded. "More people means more chance of getting caught; and besides, we need you two to stay here in case something goes wrong and Commodus attacks this place."

Jo sighed. "You make a good point." She inclined her head. "Waystation, we need an entrance to the canals, please."

A small circle appeared on the floor, and Aita could hear the sound of running water below them. "Let's go."

-o-

Sorus groaned as he tried to keep his grip. He was hanging by the pipes that were attached to the tops of the canal's ceiling. Below him, hundreds of gallons of fecal matter and dirty water rushed past him.

"Don't you dare drop me," Meg said. "I'm not ready to drown in poop."

"Then stop tempting me."

Meg scowled. Her arms were wrapped around Sorus' neck and she was hanging on for dear life.

After several minutes and a few close calls, they found the ladder that led up to Commodus's palace. There were guards everywhere, and Sorus was suddenly very glad that he hadn't dropped Meg—if she was running around, smelling like a sewer, half the palace would be on them by now.

Commodus's chambers were at the very top of the palace, so they had to take an alternate route through several air conditioning grates and back-hallways. The emperor's chamber was large and spacious, and there were two guards flanking a throne that faced away from them.

Sorus summoned his bow and nocked an arrow. "On three," he whispered. Meg readied her scimitars. "One…two…three!"

His arrow found the neck of the guard on Commodus's right, and Meg screamed and charged the one on the left.

Commodus fell out of his throne and onto his fat stomach. "What? What's happening? Guards! _Guards_!"

Sorus summoned his spear and thrust it into Commodus's back. The old emperor opened his mouth in a silent scream, but his body dissolved into dust before he could make a sound. Sorus heard the sounds of footsteps come rumbling outside the door.

"We need to go, Meg!" he shouted, picking the girl up from her fallen enemy and extending his hand, blowing out a large section of the wall. He sprinted and leapt through the wall just in time for the door to burst open and one of the guards to shout, "Stop!

Meg screamed but he changed forms and a moment later Meg was flying on the back of a massive crow. They flew as fast as they could as the alarms of the palace blared into the sky, but they were soon left far behind.

-o-

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Georgina asked. She and Meg were coloring at the kitchen table while the adults stood in the doorway.

Aita nodded. "I'm afraid we do. There's still one more emperor out there, and more giants are rising with every day that passes."

"Aw."

Aita glanced at Meg, who shrugged. He let out a long sigh. "We'll try and visit if we can."

Georgina's face brightened. "Really?"

Aita looked at Jo and Emmie. "If it's alright?"

They shared a look. "I suppose so," said Emmie.

"Yay!"

Aita smiled and extended a hand. "Thank you," he said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Emmie shook his hand, then Jo. "It was our pleasure."

"You have a good thing going here," he said. "If you need us, just call."

They smiled. "We will."

Aita nodded. "Good. Meg, we're leaving."

Meg rose, picked up her picture and took Aita's offered hand. They disappeared in a flash of light.

-o-

Hemera was waiting for them when they arrived, arms crossed. "Well?"

"It's done," Aita said. "Commodus is dead."

Hemera let out a breath. "Then only one more remains."

Aita inclined his head. "Any idea where Caligula could be?"

Hemera shrugged and looked at Meg. Said girl just shook her head. "Don't look at me; I don't know _everything,_ despite what it may seem. You got any food?"

Hemera sighed and nodded her head. "In the kitchen."

"Sweet!"

"How can we find him now?" Aita asked as Meg rummaged around in the fridge.

Hemera massaged her temple. "I'll have to call my sisters, the Fates; they should be able to find him, granted that it will take a few hours."

Aita sighed. "Wonderful." He glanced at the kitchen. "You wanna grab some food?"

Hemera opened her mouth but was interrupted by the sound of glass braking and a squeak that sounded like, "Oops," come from the kitchen. Hemera's face darkened. "Meg, if I find anything broken in there, you're grounded!"

-o-

Aita and Hemera were sprawled out on two of the many couches that adorned the House of Day. Meg had been confined to her room, and now the two were left with nothing to do but wait. Aita let out a long sigh. "How much longer is this going to take?"

Hemera shrugged. "I dunno; my sisters take their sweet time when it comes to getting things done."

"What do you expect?" Aita said. "They're all old hags; I bet they've forgotten who their looking for."

Hemera snickered. "Probably watching _The Price is Right."_

"The what?"

Hemera waved her hand. "Don't worry about it." She pursed her lips. "Wanna get drunk?"

Aita shrugged. "I'm not sure…"

Hemera scoffed. "Come on—I thought you were a god of parties and stuff."

Aita smiled. "It would seem that Dionysus took my place in that department." He thought it over for a minute. "What have you got?"

Hemera stood up and walked over to where he was sitting. Aita moved his legs and she sat down, waving a bottle and two glasses into existence. As she poured the liquid into the glasses, she explained: "Undiluted, un-watered red wine."* She handed him a glass. "Aged to perfection." She raised her own drink. "To saving the world."

Aita raised his. "To second chances."

They brought their drinks to their lips and drank deep. The wine burned in Aita's throat and his eyes watered. "Another."

She refilled both of their glasses and they drank again. A few hours—and several bottles—later, they were both lounging on the couch, Hemera's body leaning on Aita's side.

"Thank you," she said, taking a small sip.

"For what?" he asked, putting his glass on the coffee table.

Hemera shrugged with one shoulder. "Everything, I guess. You didn't have to stay and help me; you could've gone back to Olympus and lived out the rest of your days in peace."

Aita shrugged. "Wouldn't have been a very many days left." He exhaled through his nose. "Somebody needed to stop Gaea—better me than someone else, I guess."

She turned to look at him. "Still…I owe you thanks." She leaned up and closed her eyes. Aita leaned down and their lips touched. For a second they stayed like that—lips touching and breathing even—but then Hemera's eyes widened and she broke away. "I…I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done that."

She rose to get up, but Aita grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer so that she was sitting in his lap, facing him. "Don't be sorry; I'm not." He brought his lips to hers again and put a hand around her waist, keeping her close. She gripped his shoulders and closed her eyes.

"What about—Ah!—what about your wife?" she asked as he moved down to her neck, kissing and sucking on her skin.

Aita growled and ground their hips together, making her gasp. "I don't want to talk about _her_. I don't want to think about her; I don't want to acknowledge her; I don't want to _remember_ her." He pushed his lips against hers. "I want you right now."

She sighed into his lips. "Bedroom's upstairs and down the hall, first door on the right."

He hooked his arms under her butt and lifted her off the couch, not breaking the kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands through his hair as their kissing became more heated; tongues battling for dominance. She won out in the end, running her tongue through his mouth and leaving no part of him untouched.

He climbed the stairs effortlessly and kicked the door to the bedroom open. She yelped when he threw her on the bed and ripped his jerkin off, leaving him in only his breeches. He climbed on top of her and she cupped his cheeks and they resumed their battle. Hemera wrapped her legs around him and he bucked his hips against her, effectively dry humping her.

She flipped them over and sat up, licking her lips as she slowly unfastened the buttons and straps on her dress. Aita growled and reached up, ripping off her dress and tearing it down the middle. She gasped in mock anger. "That was my favorite outfit!"

He unzipped his breeches and turned her around, pushing her down onto her stomach. She still had her white bra and panties on, but he didn't care. He climbed on top of her and lowered his boxers, exposing his throbbing manhood. He didn't bother removing her panties; instead he just moved the crotch area and slammed into her.

She gasped as he began to rapidly pump inside of her. He gripped his wrists as she fisted the sheets of the bed. "You like being in charge, huh?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder, giving him her best "fuck me" face. "Is that what makes you hot?"

He moaned and increased his speed, only being able to say "Fuck!" before he closed his eyes as pleasure filled him.

Hemera was panting now, and her breaths were ragged and hoarse. "Then fuck me," she said, raising her bottom to meet his thrusts, "fuck me until neither of us can walk."

He kept going, harder and harder with each second. Hemera buried her head in her pillows as a scream erupted from her throat, aided by her walls clenching around him, sucking him of his seed.

They both collapsed, breathing heavily as aftershocks rocked their bodies. Aita rose first, pulling himself off and out of her so he could remove his breeches and underwear. Hemera was still breathing heavily and trembling, so Aita slowly removed her soaked panties from her sex and threw them across the room.

He gripped her waist and pulled her up, turning her around so she could sit in his lap. Her eyes cleared and she pressed her lips against him, moaning as his tongue entered her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped his shoulders.

He reached around her and unclipped her bra, exposing her pale breasts to him. He leaned down and suckled them slowly, biting and licking them. She moaned and pushed his head deeper into her chest.

After a while he removed his head from her cleavage and gripped her waist, pulling her up and bringing her down on top of his dick. She moaned as her insides were filled. He rocked his hips against hers, sending vibrations through their cores.

"So…good…" she moaned he kissed her roughly, bruising their lips. She put her hands on his shoulders and bounced with his rhythm, causing her breasts to flap up and down. He clamped his teeth down on one, causing her to throw her head back and let out a deep moan that Aita was surprised to find didn't wake Meg.

"Oh, gods," she moaned, "keep it up."

"I'm…close…" he gasped as she clenched her walls around him. "Oh, you bitch!"

She smirked devilishly at him and stuck her tongue down his throat. They continued fucking each other like that until they both moaned as they came all over each other.

Aita fell backwards onto the bed, breathing heavily. Hemera sighed and climbed off of him, slithering down the length of his body and off the bed entirely.

"Hemera?" he asked, sitting up, but the Primordial put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

"Stay still," she said, "and let me do all the work." She put her hands on her breasts and winked suggestively.

In his mind some part of him wanted her to stop, but that feeling was suppressed when she put his cock between her breasts and squeezed. She kissed the tip and began to move her breasts up and down along his shaft.

He groaned and fell back on the bed, letting his head rest on the soft pillows. "Gods, you're fucking amazing."

She giggled and took his head in her mouth, licking along the underside and top like he was a lollipop. "You close yet?" She smiled and licked him. "Oh, yeah, you're close."

"I can still hold out," he said, gritting his teeth and fisting the sheets.

"Oh, don't hold back for me," she said. "Cum all over me. Go ahead."

He let out one last groan as he exploded, coating her face and chest with his seed. She licked away his semen and straddled. "You taste yummy," she said.

He gave a weak thumbs-up and closed his eyes…only to open them again when he felt her rubbing her clit against his cock, which tried in vain to rise again. "I'm sorry, but I can't go again."

"We'll _I'm_ not done yet," she said, sliding down his shaft. She rested her hands on his chest and began to bounce up and down, letting out low moans as she did. After a few minutes of pumping she sighed as he walls clenched and she came for a final time. Aita gasped in pain as his balls tightened and he came weakly.

She collapsed on top of his and nuzzled his chest. "Are your legs numb, too?"

He panted like a dog. "I can't fucking walk right now."

She laughed and snapped her fingers, causing blankets to appear on top of them. "Good."

* * *

* Back during the ancient times, Greeks would add water to their wine so they didn't get hammered every time they felt like having a glass of wine.

A/N: That's two-thirds of the emperors down; now only Caligula remains. Okay everyone, how did you feel about the whole Aita/Hemera thing? I wasn't sure how to feel about it, so I'll leave it up to you: if enough people like it, I'll have it become something that happens every few chapters, but if nobody responds positively then it'll be a one-time thing. Regardless, Aita's gonna be dealing with some _massive_ guilt in the following chapters, so get ready for that. If you enjoyed then please leave a review and favorite and follow.


	12. Chapter 12

TheRealMasonMac: Could you please put some warning next time? I'm not a fan of smut.

Absolutely. My bad to anyone who doesn't like that kinda stuff in their stories. In the future, I'll have a warning at the top of the story so you're aware of anything coming. It'll probably look like this: Smut Warning. Since I won't say exactly where and when it happens, just be aware that if I begin to describe characters removing clothes or kissing, like, really hard, then that's a good way to know a sex scene is coming.

A/N: Okay, you guys have done the unthinkable. You left me over _seventeen_ reviews last time. I'm completely shocked. I literally had the biggest grin on my face for the rest of the week after that. You all are amazing, and I love you.

However, a few of you were confused about Aita's sudden shift toward Hemera instead of Hecate, so I'll try and justify it here. If my reasoning doesn't make sense, then PM me or leave it in a review and I'll do my best to explain.

Reason One: He's fucking pissed.

Something that I hope some of you understand is that Aita has no sense that time has passed. When he faded, he basically closed his eyes and when he opened them again a second later, over three thousand years had passed and his wife suddenly has kids and lovers. He wants revenge or some form of justice, and getting with Hemera seemed the best way to go.

Reason Two: He's stressed.

Dying is traumatic. I don't think anyone can argue that. _Especially_ for a god, who grew up believing he'd live forever. To realize you died and came back to life would be hard on anyone, not to mention he's dealing with three crazy emperors and a race of being _designed_ to kill gods, he isn't feeling very hopeful about going home, which is why he hasn't been fantasizing about spending time with his family—he doesn't want to get his hopes up and then fail. With that said, Aita would want to spend his second chance living, for however long that may be, and finding comfort in another woman's arms isn't that big of a deal when the world is ending.

Reason Three: He was drunk.

Nothing really to explain here. They were drunk, and feeling a little frisky. Nothing more.

Smut Warning

* * *

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Twelve: The Talk**

He was standing in a large cavern that had a single shaft of light in the center. Thick gray mist swirled around him, and he couldn't see what was on the other side.

"Hello?" he called, but nobody answered.

 _Where am I?_ he thought. The mist suddenly seemed to part like a veil, and a woman in a black dress walked toward him. The mist seemed to follow her as she walked, and Aita realized with a start that the mist was _coming from_ her.

"Hecate," he breathed, eyes wide.

The woman stepped forward and then she was just ahead of him, the bottom of her dress billowing in some unfelt breeze.

"How could you?" she asked, eyes brimming with tears. "I thought you loved me."

"I do," Aita said, a lump forming in his throat. "I love you so much it hurts."

"They why?" she asked, cupping his face with a hand. "Why would you embrace that harlot and forget me?"

Suddenly a great fire erupted within Aita's chest, and he swiped her hand away. "How could _I?_ How could you! You lay with other men and sired more children then I care to imagine! How long did you wait, huh? A month, a week? You swore to be mine for eternity, and yet _you_ forgot _me_!"

She moved around him, running her finger along his back and chest. "Maybe so, but what reason do you have? I was left alone without you for so long, and I was not prepared for an eternity of celibacy, but what is your reason? You always prided yourself on your loyalty to me, and yet you share another woman's bed. Could you not have waited for our reunion to satiate your needs? I could've been yours again, but you ruined that chance."

Aita turned his head to follow her, keeping his eyes on her figure as she moved slowly around him. "Hemera has done more for me in these few weeks than you have done in three millennia. She brought me back from death, while you likely retreated to the Underworld and sought refuge with mortals."

"But can she love you?" she whispered in his ear, pressing her body against his back. "Does she love you as I do?" She ran her hands up and down his arms, lightly massaging his shoulders. "She is married, Aita. This affair cannot last." She bit his earlobe and tugged it with her teeth, drawing out a faint gasp from him.

He shook his head to clear his mind, and the mist seemed to fade momentarily. "You aren't real."

"Aren't I?" she asked, gripping his neck with her delicate fingers. "Do I not seem real?"

A hunting knife appeared in Aita's hand, and he slashed through the top half of Hecate's face. Instead of sinew and ichor, mist came pouring out. As her face returned, she asked, "You would harm me?"

"Get out," he said. "Go, damn you, I'm done with you."

"You can't hide from me," she said as she vanished.

Then the ground opened up beneath him, and he was swallowed.

-o-

He was still in bed, at least.

Hemera was still on top of him, her shoulders rising slowly as she slept. Aita could sense that there was still a few more hours until daybreak, so Meg was likely still asleep.

Slowly, he extracted himself from her, sliding out of bed with the silence of a kitten. He was naked, and his clothes were strewn about the room in a heap of cloth. He stood up and walked over to a small table and braced himself on it.

Hemera shifted. "Aita?"

He turned. Her hair was a mess of golden curls and she fucked him with her gaze. The blankets were drawn up to her chest and he could just barely make out the tops of her nipples. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "Fine. Go back to sleep."

She reclined on the bed but didn't close her eyes. "Spill."

"What?"

"Something's obviously wrong, so spill." When he didn't answer, she sighed. "Aita, what happened last night…it…we aren't—"

"I know what casual sex is," he interjected, face burning. "My brother practically invented it."

"Then what's the problem?"

He whirled around, face furious. "What _isn't_ the problem? I'm married; _you're_ married! We swore oaths to be loyal."

She scoffed. "And how have we been rewarded for our loyalty? Aether hardly ever visits—in fact, last night was the best fuck I've had in _centuries._ And Hecate? She doesn't even know you're alive, and even if she did, she still had kids and fucked other guys, so what does it matter if you sleep around too?"

"Be quiet," he said, shutting his eyes.

"Why should I? Let me get it through your thick skull—Hecate forgot about you. She moved on. Get over it."

"Shut up."

"Quit wallowing in self-pity—you're a god, for Chaos's sake! Take control of your life and move on. Nobody stays loyal, Aita. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hebe, Hephaestus—they all promise to be loyal, but are they? No! Olympus is full of broken oaths, so why fight the current? Stop fighting, and enjoy yourself for once!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" he screamed, rushing over and pinning her to the bed as he straddled her. "Shut your fucking mouth."

She stared up at him, breathless. "That's it. Get angry. Take it out on me; I can take it."

He growled and crashed their lips together, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She moaned in pleasure and snapped her fingers. The blankets came up and covered them, leaving only their shoulders and heads visible.

She sighed when his cock entered her, hooking her legs on his hips. Slowly they began to buck their hips back and forth, their lips still firmly attached as their tongues battle for dominance.

"That's it…" she said when he kissed her collarbone. "…Fuck away the pain."

He brought his lips up to her again, beginning to speed up as his climax approached. Hemera threw her head back as her walls tightened and she came, moaning out his name. A few moments later he followed suit, squirting his seed deep within her.

They collapsed on top of each other, breathing heavily. Aita slid out and off of her, and she hooked a leg on his hip. "Feel better?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. So…this thing—"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Is completely meaningless. I don't love you, and you don't love me. Call it…stress relief. Some mortals even call it friends with benefits."

"So…we just fuck whenever we want to?"

"Mhmm." She kissed his lips. "Oh, I need you and Meg to head over to Puerto Rico."

"Why?"

"The giant Orion is tracking the Athena Parthenos, and will destroy it if given the chance."

He nodded. "Got it." He tried to get up, but she pushed him back down.

"Well…" she said as she straddled him, "you don't need to go _right away_ ; Orion is still a few hours away from Puerto Rico, and Meg's still asleep, so…"

He smiled. "A few more hours, huh? I wonder what we could so with so much time."

She smiled, and for a second he thought she looked like the Cheshire Cat. "I can think of a few things…"

She kissed him, and all his thoughts melted.

* * *

A/N: If you enjoyed, then please leave a review and tell me how awesome this chapter was, favorite and follow to be alerted to when I update, and get hype for the next chapter 'cause we'll be seeing Orion, the Hunters, the Amazons, and maybe even Caligula!

Bye!


	13. Chapter 13

**The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Thirteen: The Hunter**

Orion stepped over the corpse of an Amazon, a massive black arrow sticking out of her heart. More of her comrades lay strewn about the rooftops and back-alleys. The streets of San Juan were quiet, too busy protecting themselves from the heat to worry about going to the market or running errands.

He stalked closer to the Amazon base, his mind focused on his goal: find the Athena Parthenos, capture it, and kill all those who stood in his way. He would admit that he took a sort of sadistic pleasure in this; the Amazons and Hunters deserved to be destroyed for thinking they were superior to giants and men.

A rock fell off a nearby rooftop and landed on the ground, bouncing once or twice before rolling to a stop. "Hello, Orion."

Orion turned. A man with black hair and purple eyes stood above him. He wore a black jerkin and breeches. A large bow was held in his hands, and a quiver was attached to his back. Orion would've mistaken him for his brother, if not for the fact that all his brothers had dragon legs.

Orion cocked his head. "Who are you?"

"You don't know me?" The man shrugged. "I'm not surprised. But I know who you are."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, do you know about me?"

"I know that you're a giant, destined to destroy Apollo and Artemis. Maybe if I had been around at the time, you would've been my nemesis too. Who knows? I also know that you loved Artemis, and that you joined her Hunt to be with her."

Orion grit his teeth. "And do you know what happened when I told her how I felt?"

"She rejected you, and then Apollo drove you mad. Your mother, Gaea, sent you a poison scorpion to end your insanity, and now you hunt and kill girls because you can't get over the fact that my sister dumped you."

Orion's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Your sister?" He paused. "Who are you?"

"Can't you guess? Think about it…I'm Artemis's brother, I would've been the one you were created to destroy, except that I wasn't around for that war. Who am I?"

Orion's breath caught in his throat. "You're Aita."

Aita nodded. "I'm Aita."

"Then how are you here?"

"Fate intervened," Aita said simply. "Now I'm here to stop your mother, and that means I can't let you hurt anyone else." He notched an arrow. "I'll admit, I'm going to enjoy this."

"And why is that?" Orion said, readying himself for battle.

"Because you broke Artemis's heart, and nobody hurts my big sister and gets away with it."

Orion charged; Aita let his arrow fly, enjoying the sound it made as it lodged itself into the giant's chest, just above his heart. Aita leapt down, sword flashing. Orion sidestepped, untouched. Aita turned to keep him in sight and was grazed across the chest by Orion's hunting knife. He swung his sword again in a sideways arc, but Orion rolled under it and came back up, bow notched.

Aita threw himself behind an old Camaro car just in time to avoid the fiery arrow that whizzed by his shoulder. An explosion rocked the ground, and dozens of cats hissed in annoyance and fled to the roofs of houses and under trees.

Aita sprung out from his hiding place, Spear of Diomedes elongating into shape in his hand. He slid his hand down the shaft until he was at the very end and swirled, sending the spearpoint at Orion's feet, forcing the giant back.

Aita summoned his shield and raised it just in time to block a massive black arrow from skewering him. He advanced quickly, angling himself to force Orion back toward a building. The giant seemed to sense what was happening and rolled to the side. Aita turned, keeping him in sight, and realized that Orion had angled himself so his back was to the sun, which shone brightly in Aita's eyes. _Damn you, Apollo._

He heard the sounds of feet approaching rapidly and crouched, lifting his shield to his eyes. The polished metal caught a stray beam of light, and Aita tilted his shield, positioning the sun to go straight into the giant's eyes. Orion stumbled, off balance and half blind, and Aita jabbed with his spear.

Orion gave a cry of pain as the spear lodged itself in his stomach. Aita dropped his shield and, with all his might, hefted the mighty spear with both hands, throwing the giant into the side of a building.

Aita threw the spear; Orion cried out again as the spear ruptured his chest, pinning him to the wall of a nearby apartment building. "You…" he said, trying to pry the spear loose, to no avail, "…will die."

Aita shook his head, walking forward. "No, my friend, that would be you."

Orion seemed to smile, a small stream of ichor dripping down the corner of his mouth. "Fool. It takes a god and demigod working in unison to kill me."

"Then it's a good thing the Amazons and Hunters are on their way."

Orion's smile seemed to fade for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"I sent my companion, Meg, to the Amazon base to fetch some reinforcements. With any luck, they'll be here any moment. I was only here to distract you, fool. The Athena Parthenos will reach Camp Half-Blood safely, and Gaea will fail. It's over."

"No!" Orion shouted, lurching forward. "I'll not be killed by some weakling like you! I'll—"

The rest of his sentence was interrupted by the several dozen arrows that sprouted from his—everything. He dissolved into golden dust and two glowing mechanical eyes. Aita crushed them under his boots and wretched his spear free.

He turned; over a dozen girls in silver parkas with bows were lined across the rooftops. On the street, young women in black jumpsuits and business attire held swords, spears, and shields. The one in front wore a golden belt. _The Queen of the Amazons._ Next to her, a girl in golden armor stood next to a pale boy in black and a scowling satyr holding a baseball bat. Meg stood in front of them all, massaging her golden rings.

"Well done, Meg," Aita said, walking forward. The women tensed. "Peace," he said, holding up his hands. "My name is—"

"—Aita?"

A girl in silver with ginger hair hopped down, putting her bow away. Several other familiar faces joined her, all looking as though they'd seen a ghost. _Then again, they wouldn't exactly be wrong._

Aita smiled. "It's good to see you, Phoebe," he said. He nodded in greeting to all of the other girls. "Melonie. Cynthia. Lyanna. You've grown, Lexi."

"How…" Phoebe began.

Aita raised his arm. "There is no time for that, Phoebe. Where is Castillo? I would speak with the lieutenant."

The Hunter winced. "Aita…Castillo's dead."

A lump formed in his throat, which be begrudgingly forced down. Of course. He should have known that. Not all Hunters lived forever.

"Zoe Nightshade, then."

The silence was deafening.

"Who, then?"

A girl with spiky black hair and blue eyes stepped forward. "I'm lieutenant here. Thalia Grace, by the way."

"I'm Aita. I'm Lady Artemis's brother."

Thalia looked between Phoebe and Aita. The former raised a hand. "I'll explain everything later." She glared at him. "And so will you. I want an explanation."

There were several shouts of agreement. Aita smiled and nodded. "Fine, but not until this is over. Praetor Reyna," he called, "the way for you is clear. Get that damn statue to Camp Half-Blood soon, or there won't be a camp at all."

The praetor nodded. The queen sent him a look of gratitude and called for the Amazons to return to their base.

"Are you coming, Meg?" the queen asked.

Meg looked over sheepishly. "I think I'll stay with them for a little."

Aita nodded, fighting down the shock. "Very well, Meg. Thank you for everything."

She nodded and turned, following after the Amazons.

"If you should see my sister before I do," Aita said to the remaining Hunters, "tell her that I said hello."

-o-

Hemera was frantic when he got back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Caligula duped us!" she cried. "While you were off fighting that stupid giant, he amassed the remainder of his troops and marched on California. He's attacking Camp Jupiter! You need to stop him!"

* * *

A/N: Well everyone, I'm sorry about the late update. I'm just gonna come out and say it: I dropped the ball on this one. I've been working on this year-long project for my school, and it was due a couple of days ago. I had a major case of senioritis and was scrambling to finish it all by the deadline. Add to that the fact that I've also had to work, study, publish other fanfics, and sleep, I haven't had a whole lot of time to finish this. But good news! We're only gonna have about two chapters left and then we're done, so expect this two wrap up in early May at the latest.

Please review, favorite and follow, and I'll see you all next time!

Bye!


	14. Chapter 14

Smut Warning

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Fourteen: The Last One**

Camp Jupiter was in chaos.

Legionnaires were running around, carrying weapons, armor, vials of Greek fire, and chariots. An elephant was being outfitted with armor, though the animal was so excited that he was making the job difficult.

The Legion was comprised entirely of adults and purple ghosts. Dozens of wolves were running up and down the line, barking and howling to one another. Siege towers were being erected, and scorpions and ballistae were set up along the boundary line.

Sorus stood on a marble wall near the Garden of Bacchus. His helm was tucked under one arm, letting his dark hair blow in the wind. His shield was strapped to his back and his swords were attached to his belt. His armor gleamed in the sunlight, and he took a deep breath.

Next to him, a statue exploded into existence.

"Hello, Terminus," he said dryly.

The marble statue looked irate. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Sorus cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Why are you here?" the statue asked, again.

"Your camp is under attack. I'm here to make sure that it's still intact by the end of the day."

The statue god scowled. "And what makes you think we want your help?"

Sorus opened his mouth to respond, but a low growl came from somewhere to his left, and a large chocolate red wolf jumped out of the bushes. "That is enough, Terminus," she said, without moving her lips.

"But—"

The wolf growled again, and the god shut up. She turned to Sorus. "Thank you for coming, my lord."

"You're welcome, Lupa," he said, with a nod. "How long until Caligula arrives?"

"Soon," she said. "Minutes, if my scouts are to be believed."

"How many?"

"Too many. My scouts reported seeing siege towers, cavalry, a battalion of monsters, and even more half-bloods."

"And Caligula?"

"He will be leading his army from the rear, so there is little chance of seeing him yet."

Sorus thought for a moment. "Who is the ranking officer here?"

"Legate Procter," she said. "She is in the forum with the other officers."

Sorus nodded. "Thank you. _Benediximus_ , Lupa."

-o-

The Legate was a tall woman with dark hair, nut-brown skin, and green eyes. "You," she said when he entered. Around her, her officers gripped the handles of their weapons. She stopped them with a gesture. "I know you. You were here when that giant attacked Camp."

"Polybotes," Sorus said.

"Yeah, him. You said your name was Sonas, right?"

"Sorus."

If she looked abashed, she didn't show it. "Why are you here?"

"You camp's under attack. I've come to help defend it."

She raised an eyebrow. "How can you help us?"

"The one leading the attack, Caligula, found a way to make himself immortal. As it happens"—he summoned the Spear of Diomedes—"I have a way to reverse that." When she didn't look convinced, he added: "I swear upon the River Styx, I am here to help you."

Thunder rumbled above, and Procter nodded. "Fine. You'll be in command of the archers. The first wave will be here soon. Good luck."

-o-

The first wave came in the form of cavalry—lightly armored demigods wielding Celestial bronze and Imperial gold weapons, screaming for blood. Behind them were a horde of monsters—cyclopes, Laestrygonian Giants, hellhounds, empousai, and others. Siege towers were there too, and mortal tanks and helicopters.

 _Caligula isn't messing around._ Sorus donned his helmet and looked at the ranks of troops. In the front were a phalanx of shields and spears, several rows of highly armored veterans. Behind them were around four dozen archers wielding longbows and equipped with quivers of hundreds of arrows. Taking up the rear were the Lares, their armor glittering purple. They stood in front of the city limits, the last line of defense. Around them, the statues of Terminus began to glow white, a sign that he was preparing for battle. Lupa and her wolves stood with the Legion, ready to defend their home.

Legate Procter stood with the shield wall, her golden armor catching the light of the sun. The shields were polished and shiny, and they seemed to glow white in the sun. _Hopefully it will catch in the enemy's eyes,_ Sorus thought. _Then we won't have to worry about their charge as much._

"Romans!" Legate Procter called, voice carrying over the Field of Mars. "Hold the line! Let none of them through!"

"Ave, Legate!" the Legion chorused.

"Archers," Sorus called, "notch and hold! Wait for my signal to release!"

The archers moved as one, drawing their arrows and readying them for fire. The enemy was close, now; it would only be a few more minutes before they were upon them. "Ready!"

The archers pulled back their drawstrings as hard as they could.

"Aim!"

They pointed their arrows upward, at an angle. The enemy was close now. Sorus could hear their taunts and japes, their laughter and their screams.

"Fire!"

The arrows flew as one, a great storm of shafts and fletching and tips. After a second of tense silence the Field was full of the sound of impact: horses cried out and fell, taking their riders with them, men cried as the arrows found their marks in the chinks of their armor, and the thudding of dirt as the arrows missed and found homes in the dirt.

Caligula's forces rode down their fallen brethren and kept on coming. Already his archers had prepared another volley. Sorus summoned his own bow and drew an arrow.

"Fire!"

More arrows flew, and more men died. Sorus aimed his own arrow at one of the attack helicopters. The shot rang true and the chopper went up in a hail of green fire, spinning crazily, out of control. It crashed into one of the siege towers, which also went up in flames.

"Fire!"

By now most of the cavalry was gone, but a few still made it. They crashed into the shield wall with a loud gonging sound. Most fell to the spearpoints of the Legion, but a dozen cut their way through the shield and began to hack at the Legionnaires. Wolves appeared from nowhere and leapt up at them, pulling them from their horses and sinking their teeth into their necks.

One of the Terminus statues unleashed a ball of flame and sent it flying toward the enemy siege towers. One of them was destroyed, but the other blasts missed or exploded in the ranks of the advancing monster horde.

Scorpion bolts rained down on the enemy, coating the Field of Mars in green flame. A tank fired, and a building behind the archers exploded.

"Terminus," Sorus called, "aim for the tanks!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" the statue asked, exasperated. "I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Well go faster!"

Sorus heard a shriek and saw Legate Procter go down, a spear in her side. One of the Legionnaires cut the man off his horse, but the Legate was out of commission.

"Stand fast!" Sorus called. "Do not retreat! Front line, lock shields and hold. Archers, fire at will. Do not let the enemy get close. Aim for where the horde is thickest, and alternate between incendiary shots and regular."

The Legion did as he instructed, and just in time, too. The monsters smashed into the wall, which held under the onslaught. A giant swiped at them, but the soldiers jabbed with their spears, and the monster fell. Wolves ran out from behind the wall, pulling down monsters with their teeth and claws. Terminus aimed another blast, and one of the tanks imploded on itself. Sorus brought down another tower, which tipped into an entire line of cyclopes. More and more monsters came, but the shield wall held, and they were drowned in a storm of arrows, until the entire Field was covered in gold dust.

Just when the last of the monsters fell, a horn blew over the hills, and another wave came. Comprised of foot soldiers, the second wave wasn't as formidable looking, but had twice the numbers of the previous wave. Behind them, Sorus could see a third wave preparing to charge, with Caligula at their head.

The would-be god was wearing elaborate Roman general armor, and his horse was snow-white and protected by armor. _Caligula isn't messing around,_ Sorus thought, again. _He's throwing all the might of his fallen empire at us._

The Legion was weakened as it was; only half of their numbers were still on their feet, and the archers were nearly out of arrows. Terminus wouldn't be able to stop them all, and Lupa's wolves would be mowed down before long.

Hemera's words came to him, again:

 _Cut off the head, and the body will wither._

She was right. If he could get to Caligula and slay him, the rest of his army would scatter, and the Legion could pick most of them off as they retreated.

"Hold the line!" he called. "Do not let up, even for a second."

He shoved his way to the front of the line and took hold of one of the crazed horses as it ran by. Pulling himself up quickly, he put his feet in the stirrups and drew one of his swords. He nicked his horse with a heel and the animal charged toward the advancing line.

"What are you doing?" one of the Terminus heads demanded, but Sorus ignored him. The horse tried to slow, but Sorus reached within and bent the creature to his will, forcing it on.

The enemy soldiers were almost upon him now, but Sorus plunged forth with a cry that carried for miles. His horse stomped the first soldiers, and he slashed downward with his sword. The soldiers tried to fight back, but their swords never touched his horse or his body. He intercepted them with his own blade, fighting like a demon and cutting through them like they were the waves of a docile ocean.

Around him, arrows landed, cutting through armor and skin and muscle. Men fell, but more came. Sorus cut a bloody path through them, removing arms, hands, heads, and more. His horse, emboldened by his seeming invincibility, pounding on confidently, much faster than before. The horse hit a man aside with his snout and kept on charging. Sorus cleaved through more of the army, until he broke through the final line and came face to face with Caligula.

"Mad god!" he called in defiance. "Face me!" He charged up the hill.

"Very well, then," said the emperor. He drew his sword and charged, as did the third wave. Behind him, Sorus heard more arrows hit, and the trumpet of an elephant.

He reached out with his minds, and the charging army spread around him, leaving only he and Caligula. A scorpion bolt exploded to his left, taking a whole squad with it. He and Caligula locked swords and circled each other on their mounts.

They came together again, slashing left and right at each other. Around them, arrows fell on the army, and a siege tower left a smoking hole in the ground. The elephant blared loudly, and Terminus fired more shots.

An arrow took out Caligula's horse from under him, and he jumped from his saddle. Sorus dismounted as well and summoned his spear and unslung his shield. They charged each other again, Caligula slashing wildly. Sorus blocked his strikes with his shield and jabbed forward with the tip of his spear.

Again and again they crossed blades, until Sorus managed to cut into the emperor's neck with his spear. Caligula dropped his sword and fell to his knees, clutching his throat. Sorus removed his head with another swing.

Around him, the battle seemed to stop as all watched the emperor's body slump to the floor, lifeless. Then the enemy screamed and began to retreat, running for the hills. Many were cut down by arrows, but even more escaped, though Sorus suspected they wouldn't try another attack.

After the battle, he found Legate Procter in the infirmary, a large bandage wrapped around her midsection.

"Hey," she said when she saw him.

He inclined his head. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "Fine." Her face turned sad. "We lost nearly fifty people today. Fathers and brothers and mothers and sisters." She shook her head. "The city's sustained damage, too. After this and the battle with that giant…I don't know how much more the Legion can take."

"You'll get through it," he said, "I promise."

She gave a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."

He shrugged. "It was the least I could do. I'll leave you to rest." He offered a smile. "Goodbye."

She waved and smiled.

-o-

Hemera was waiting for him in her bed. "Hey you," she said, patting the spot beside her. "Lay down."

Aita did as instructed, laying on the soft blankets, staring at the ceiling. He gave a groan when his muscles ached.

Hemera giggled and turned him over so he was laying on his stomach. She snapped her fingers and Aita found himself suddenly without clothes. "What are you doing?" he asked, closing his eyes.

"Giving you a massage," she said. Aita heard the soft swish of clothes and opened one eye. He was rewarded with a view of her naked body before she climbed on the bed and straddled him, her womanhood brushing against his lower back. "You deserve it. Now all that remains are Gaea and Python."

Light, delicate fingers began to rub and squeeze his shoulders, and Aita let out a soft sigh. Hemera laughed and began to leave light kisses along his shoulder blades and upper back. Her breasts brushed against him, and Aita felt his cock stir beneath him.

"Stop."

Hemera did so, though out of confusion and not willingness. "Why."

"Because," she said, rolling over slowly; Hemera lifted a leg to give him more room before she settled back down, "I need to be inside you." He lifted her up gently and slowly eased her onto him.

She let out a soft "Mmm," and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She put her hands on his chest and let him lift her up and drop her back onto him slowly, soft moans coming from the two of them. She bent down and captured his lips in a sensual kiss, their tongues dancing around and over each other.

After a few minutes of lovemaking they both let out gasps as their own orgasms overcame them. Hemera went limp and collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily. She captured his lips again and rose, smirking devilishly. "Ready for round two?"

His smile matched hers. "Always."

* * *

A/N: Okay everyone, please leave a review telling me what you thought of this latest chapter. We're on the homestretch, people. Only one more chapter to go before we're done. Don't be afraid to PM me with questions, concerns or anything else. Please follow to be alerted to my updates, and favorite to show me how much you enjoy this story.

Bye!


	15. Chapter 15

Smut Warning

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Battles**

Aita bit back a gasp as Hemera ran her lips over his cock, tongue running up and down his shaft. They were on her bed (though it could now be called "their bed" since they hardly ever left it), clothes strewn about the room in various places. (Aita took a particular pleasure in seeing her black bra hanging off a lampshade.)

Hemera pulled her mouth away with a loud _smack_ as she pumped him. "You gonna cum, baby?" she asked, lips turning up in a smirk as she continued to stroke him.

"Not if you don't get your mouth back to work," he said, taking a hold of her head and forcing it toward his shaft. She smiled and took it all in, slurping. She brought a hand down to her core and began to lightly play with her lower lips, moaning sweetly as she did so.

After a few minutes Aita felt something rumble within him. "I'm gonna—"

He pushed her head to his base, keeping her from pulling away. "Swallow it," he commanded, looking down at her. She hummed in acknowledgment and swallowed, her throat working. "All of it?" he asked.

She pulled back and stuck her tongue out, showing him the contents of her mouth. He smiled and said, "Keep your tongue out." He pulled her up and crashed his lips against hers, tongues battling for dominance. Hemera hooked her legs around his waist, and he buckled under the sudden weight. They fell onto the bed, Aita on top.

He reached down and took a nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue over the hardened bud. Hemera said "Mmm" in pleasure and began running her fingers through his hair. Aita moved to her other nipple, biting into it softly, eliciting a startled gasp from the primordial under him.

"Okay, big boy," she said, "it's my turn." She flipped them over and straddled Aita. With a seductive wink, Hemera lifted herself onto him, sliding down his length. She slowly began bouncing up and down, her breasts rising and falling with the rhythm of her body. Aita grips her hips and began to push and pull, making her go faster.

She reached down and lifted his head to hers, entwining their lips in a passionate dance that tasted as sweet as honey; she ran her hands through his hair, pulling it painfully when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. Her nipples were pressing against his chest, and Aita reached down and cupped one of her butt cheeks with his hand.

She gasped and bit his lip as their orgasms came, and they collapsed on the bed. She curled into him, letting out a tired—yet happy—sigh. "You ready for part—" She sat upright quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

"It's starting," she said seriously. "The giants have awakened Gaea. The gods are there, and they're fighting."

Aita sat up straight. "Then let's go."

-o-

Below him, the gods and giants were fighting in the middle of Athens. There were dozens of giants and just as many gods, each battling away to their heart's contents. Demigods fought with them. At Poseidon's side, Aita saw Percy Jackson, fighting against two of the smaller giants. With Athena was her blonde daughter, fighting with a sword made of bone. The Fates were bludgeoning an old giant with large brass clubs. Aita fought down the urge to laugh when he saw that.

Soon the battle was winding down; Father was fighting with his son, same with Ares and Hephaestus. The daughter of Aphrodite was beating back a female giant with a hunting knife while the goddess of love floated around on a cloud. Then, from across the acropolis, Aita saw her.

Hecate was fighting with the daughter of Hades. Pluto, he reminded himself. She wore a dark black dress that hugged her figure perfectly. She danced gracefully between the giants, setting them aflame with her torches. A small smile was gracing her face, and Aita felt himself grow tense.

 _She cheated on us!_ he told himself. _She abandoned us! We hate her!_ He felt a lump form in his throat. _No, we don't_ , he realized. _We love her. We love her more than anything._ Right then, he wanted to go down there, grab her, kiss her, hug her, fuck her, he didn't care. He didn't care that the world could very well be ending, he didn't care that the entire Greek pantheon was down there.

All he cared about was having her again.

Not far away, his brother and sister were firing arrows into every giant that crossed their path. Artemis looked resplendent in a silver gown, while Apollo was adorned in a golden toga, a crown of laurel leaves in his hair. If he could get to them, he could help them. They'd be a team again, as they had in the old days, with Apollo laughing and joking with him and Artemis teaching him how to be kind and just and hunt.

"No, Aita," Hemera said from behind him.

"Why not?" he asked childishly. "The giants are gone and all that matters is Gaea, and the demigods will take care of her shortly."

"Python," Hemera reminded him. "He still lives, and if given the chance, he'll escape to some other part of the world and he'll be gone for good."

He scoffed. "Please, my sister is the greatest tracker in the history of the world. She'll find him, and when she does, I'll kill him."

"No, Aita, "she said with a shake of her head. "Once you return, they'll never let you out of their sight again. The gods don't care for Python; they consider him an inconvenience, not a threat. Only you and Apollo truly understand how dangerous he is."

"Then he and I will kill him together."

"No. This must be something you do on your own." She put a hand on his shoulder. "But once that's done, I promise you, you may return to Olympus." She looked down below. "We must go. Gaea has risen, and the demigods are on their way back to their camp."

Aita closed his eyes, hands clenching into fists. _Soon,_ he promised, turning. "Very well."

Hemera gave a nod. "Good. Come."

The last he saw of his family was when Father was over a hundred feet tall, smacking a wooden ship across the planet.

-o-

The Greek and Roman demigods were united on the crest of Half-Blood Hill, surrounded by a sea of monsters; two-headed men, ogres, centaurs, and others. At the head of the Greek lines was a boy with dark hair, slashing through monster after monster with a dark sword. Near him, Praetor Reyna was fighting on her Pegasus, bellowing orders left and right.

The seven were there too, fighting alongside each other. The Argo II was a smoking wreck in the middle of the woods. Aita didn't see the son of Hephaestus, but he was certain the boy was still alive.

"How much longer?" he asked, not looking away from the chaos that was broiling below him.

"Soon," Hemera said from beside him. "Are you three ready?"

The Fates murmured in confirmation, huddled together. Then, they silently approached the god, held out their hands, and held out the string, scissors, and needles of Fate.

"One shot is all it will take…" said Clotho.

"…to send the Earth Mother back to her sleep…" continued Lachesis.

"…but the shot must reign true, for if you miss…" said Atropos.

"…then the world is doomed," they all said together.

The instruments began to glow white, nearly as bright as the sun. Then, they seemed to fuse together, turning into a long, elongated piece of wood, with a pointed head and string fletchings.

"A Fate Arrow," Aita said in wonder, taking hold of the arrow. Such a weapon had seldom been used, and only for emergencies.

Hemera nodded. "Capable of completely wiping a being from existence. If you can manage to hit Gaea—"

"—then there's no chance of her ever returning."

"Exactly."

"Very well, then."

He summoned his bow and notched the Fate Arrow. For several more minutes they watched as the forces of the Greek and Roman camps battled together against the onslaught. Suddenly the ground all around them seemed to rumble and shake, staggering the camps and the army of monsters.

 _Awake,_ a voice boomed from all around them.

"She's coming," Hemera said, pointing to the hill where the Athena Parthenos glittered gold. Next to it, a massive woman took shape from the earth—dress made of grass blades, quartz-white skin, tangled brown hair like tree roots.

"She's here," Aita said, readying his bow.

" _Little fools,"_ Gaea said, opening her eyes; grass-green as springtime. " _The paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me."_ She spread her arms, and the entire hill—perhaps the entire world—rippled like waves on the ocean, knocking down demigods, monsters, and machines. The heroes tried to organize themselves, but Gaea was more than they could handle. " _The whole earth is my body. How could you possibly fight the—"_

Just then, a massive golden dragon snatched up Gaea in its claws, taking her to the skies. _Separate her from her source,_ Aita thought. _Smart, little heroes._ Two more shapes took to the air in hot pursuit of the earth goddess and the dragon.

"Aim carefully," Hemera warned. "If you miss, the son of Hephaestus will cease to be."

"I won't miss," Aita said. He closed one eye and held his breath. _My brother and sister are the greatest archers this planet has ever seen; I can do this._

When the dragon was barely a spot amongst the clouds, Hemera said, "Now!" and Aita let the arrow fly.

A second later, a second sun exploded into existence over Long Island Sound.

 _Now only one remains._

-o-

The chambers of Delphi were a shadow of their former selves—broken stones, cracked floor, rubble there and there, an utter disgrace.

Apollo must be disgusted.

The massive snake was in the center of the room, his yellow eyes staring ahead intently. "Who goes there?"

"Your death, snake," Aita answered, hammering the ground with the butt of his spear. "I killed Nero, Commodus and Caligula. I killed your mother. Surrender to me now, and I'll grant you a quick death."

The snake hissed—or was it laughter? "You cannot stop me, forgotten one. _Apollo_ barely survived our fight. What hope do you have?"

"Simple," Aita said. "I have a weapon that can kill you. Apollo's bow was made to deliver plagues to mortals, not kill gods. This spear"—he twirled it in his hands—"was made to do just that. So, come, try your luck."

The serpent lunged, teeth flashing. Aita sidestepped and raked the great snake's side with his spear. When the snake moved away, the wound didn't heal. The snake hissed in anger and charged again, faster than before.

Aita dodged, slid sideways, and sent his spear at the great yellow eye. Python moved, and the spear passed over a chunk of scales under his lip. Python came on again and again, faster and stronger than the time before. Aita increased his power to match him, and pretty soon he was fighting with every ounce of godly power within him.

The stone roof above them cracked and fell debris on them; the floor shook and broke apart; the walls shuddered and parts of them fell away. Python's breath was enough to make Aita flinch, and he just barely managed to move aside in time.

Again and again they battled; for hours, days, minutes, seconds, Aita couldn't be sure. He was bleeding from his stomach—a result of Python's teeth. The snake was bleeding as well and was getting slower.

"Enough!" he snarled, eyes murderous. "I'll end this now!"

He raised his great head and rushed towards Aita, mouth unhinging as if to swallow him. Almost too late, Aita raised the spear. It broke through the serpent's top jaw and out through his skull. Python sputtered and gasped, and Aita removed the spear, only to stab it through his head again and his torso—right where his heart should have been.

The snake fell sideways and twitched once or twice before going still, dissolving into shed skin and two teeth. Aita claimed the teeth and a piece of the skin—nice souvenirs for later.

"Hemera," he said aloud, "it's done. Python is dead."

"Well done," she said, suddenly behind him. "Not many could have done it. Take comfort in that." She walked over and pressed a glowing hand to his wound, healing it in a matter of moments.

"It's done," she said when he was healed. "Python was your last challenge. Our debt is settled."

"And so it is." There was a pause. "What now?"

"Now"—Hemera smiled—"we're off to Olympus."

-o-

Olympus was largely unchanged, Aita noticed—gold temples, silver shrines, glittering mansions and plazas, fountains, gardens, and parks; though there were a few new things, like several coffee shops, a gym, a grocery store, and something called an "arcade" that had over three floors with flashing lights and beeping sounds.

"Gods of Olympus," he muttered. "It's been so long, yet…"

"…it all looks unchanged?" Hemera finished.

"Mostly," Aita admitted.

"You Olympians are creatures of habit—if you feel comfortable, you won't change."

Aita hummed in agreement. It seemed that Olympus was in the process of readying itself for one of its famous parties—minor gods and spirits rushed around, setting up streamers, confetti, and large poster that read _Muse Concert Tonight! Don't miss it!_

"Probably for the giant war," Hemera said. They were walking up the stone street that ran from the entrance to the Hall of Thrones. The minor deities ignored them, which Aita was grateful for; he was as nervous as possible already—if old friends started stopping him on the street, he might have been tempted to run.

"We're almost there," Hemera said, smiling softy. "When we get there, stay out of sight while I go in first, then you walk in when I give you the signal."

"Why can't I just walk in with you?"

"Because you look like you're about to collapse; this way you'll have a few extra minutes to gather your strength."

He smiled. "Sounds good."

"Oh, and so you can do one of those cliché reveals and be all like, 'Hey everyone' and they'll all be super confused."

He laughed. "Seriously?"

"Oh, definitely. This is like one of those cheesy soap operas, only, like, _real_. Just humor me."

He snorted. "Fine."

"Yes!"

Even from a distance, Aita could hear the council meeting—lightning bolts, yelling, ground shaking.

Typical day on Olympus.

"Wait here," Hemera said, gesturing to the columns that lined the interior of the throne room.

Aita took a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay."

She gave him a smile. "Wait for my signal."

"I can do that."

Inside, Father was furious. He gripped his Master Bolt in his hands, ready to smote whoever was groveling at his feet.

It was with great surprise that Aita realized it was Apollo.

"Please, my lord," he was saying, voice weak. "How was I supposed to—"

"SILENCE!" Zeus thundered. "You issued the prophecy before the time was right. It is your fault that Gaea rose before we were ready."

"But, Father," Artemis said, "that is not fair. Apollo had no way—"

"Hush, daughter," he said. "Do not forget that you are also at fault. You kept in contact with your Hunters, even though I ordered Olympus to be sealed."

"Brother, please," Hestia whispered. "He is your son."

"That does not matter," Zeus said. I must be impartial. As it happens, I have already decided on an adequate punishment. Apollo!" The sun god cowered. "This is your fault! Your mess! You fix it." He raised his bolt, ready to strike down Aita's wonderful brother.

And that was when Hemera made her move.

"That will not be necessary, my lord," she said, striding into the crowded throne room.

"WHO DARES TO—Lady Hemera!" Zeus was so surprised he dropped his bolt. "What do—why are you—what is the meaning of this—" By now everyone assembled was looking down at Hemera with wide eyes and open mouths. Aita guessed it wasn't everyday that a primordial showed up on Olympus to disrupt a council meeting.

"I'll make this quick. Apollo here isn't to blame—you must understand that. You're simply looking for a scapegoat for your own mistakes." Aita would have laughed at Hemera's boldness if he weren't so surprised. "However, you'll need to look elsewhere; the three emperors are dead, and the oracles are safe."

"But how—did you—"

"Oh, no, not me. My champion, however…"

"Your champion?"

"Yes, my champion." She glanced back over her shoulder: _that's your que._

Taking a deep breath and steeling his courage, Aita stepped out of the shadows.

Looking at the assembled gods, friends and families, he said the only thing that came to mind: "Hey everyone."

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know I said this was the last one, but since the reunions are going to be a big part of the finale, I wanted to do them justice. This was just a little something to whet your appetites a little bit. Final one (I promise!) will be out less than a month. Leave a review telling me what you thought.

Bye!


	16. Chapter 16

Coduss: Will there be a sequel?

Right now, no, I have no plans to make a sequel, but if someone wants to make a one-shot ot two about this story, then feel free so long as you credit me and give me a link so I can check out the story. If I do write a sequel, I'll attack a Sequel Notice to the end of this story.

* * *

Smut Warning

 **The Forgotten One**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Reunions**

He would have laughed, had he not been so nervous. All the gods, major and minor (since when do the minor gods have thrones on Olympus?) looked down at him, save Apollo, who was still on his knees.

Artemis was there, her eyes wide and hands covering her mouth, shaking. Hebe looked absolutely floored, her mouth hanging open. Zeus was mostly composed, though he was a little paler than usual. Hera looked pissed, her eyes dancing with flames. Everyone else looked either surprised, amused, or bored. Hecate was there too, her eyes so wide they seemed to take up her entire face. Aita looked away to avoid gasping.

Zeus cleared his throat. "My son, how is this—"

"You can thank Hemera here for that," he said easily, smiling.

"Oh, stop," Hemera said, waving a hand. "I didn't do that much. With Thanatos chained and the Doors of Death open, it was easy enough for my sisters the Fates to restore his string. After that I had Aita here work from the shadows to disrupt Gaea and her minions."

"I killed—I'm sorry, just, one sec." He looked down at Apollo. "You really should get up, dude; you look ridiculous. He helped Apollo—looking shocked and confused—to his feet, brushing some dirt off his shoulder. "There we go, much better. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah! I killed Nero, Commodus and Caligula, the three Roman emperors who called themselves gods."

There was silence, then, "How? How can you kill a god, even one as minor as them?"

"I'll tell you, Athena. I used this." He summoned his spear. "Recognize it, Aphrodite?"

The goddess of love took a long look at it and rubbed her wrist. "Oh, _that_."

Aita nodded. "Mm-hmm. The Spear of Diomedes, capable of hurting and killing gods. I pierced the black hearts of the false gods, destroyed their warehouses, killed their operatives, and stopped them once and for all. I killed the crazed Octavian, who would've destroyed the Greeks if given the chance. I slew Python, freeing Delphi from his foul grasp."

"Wait," Apollo said, "you—"

Aita took a piece of the snake skin from his pocket. "Recognize this, brother?"

Apollo took the skin and ran a thumb over it. "No way," he said, eyes wide. "You actually…"

"I did. Python will never plague the mortal world again."

"He also killed Gaea," Hemera said. There were many gasps. "What? He did. Shot her with a Fate Arrow, scattered her consciousness all throughout the cosmos. She's never be able to form a cohesive thought, much less a plan for revenge. You're welcome!" She gave a bow.

Zeus blinked twice and said, "Then, Olympus indeed—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're grateful and all that, yada, yada, yada." Hemera turned to her partner in crime. "Come on, Aita, let's leave them to their council meetings. You know how much they _love_ those."

He sent one last glance toward his brother and sister, then smiled and said, "Coming," and walked out, leaving the council hall silent.

-o-

Hemera led him into Olympus's hedge garden, which turned out to be a glorified labyrinth. They took so many turns he doubted he'd remember the way out, and Hemera stopped suddenly.

"Well," she said slowly, turning, "this is it."

She held out a hand, but Aita pulled her to him, giving her a big hug. "Will I ever see you again?"

She smiled against him. "I don't doubt it, though it might not be for a few more years."

"You'd be worth it."

"Flatterer," she said, stepping back and swatting him with the back of her hand. Then she stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye." She looked over his shoulder and grinned. "I'd better go; someone else wants to see you." Then she was gone.

"Who—" He turned around and saw what she meant. Artemis was barreling toward him, a streak of silver and auburn hair.

"Hey, Arte—umph!"

Artemis had let out a loud shriek (or was it a sob?) and flung herself into him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Aita found himself ten steps back, with a goddess crying into his neck, sobbing softly.

Aita let out a sigh. "Hey, sis."

Artemis's crying got louder, and she tightened her hold on him, so he just held her more and laid a kiss on her head. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm so, so sorry."

The sound of pounding footsteps alerted him to someone else. Apollo appeared a second later, golden hair flowing. "Artemis, have you—" He stopped suddenly, taking in the sight before him.

"Hey, Apollo," Aita managed, aware of a few tears threatening to spill.

"Dude," Apollo breathed, enveloping his little brother in a hug. Artemis refused to budge, so Apollo had to maneuver himself around her; though it was awkward, they made it work. Only then did Aita let his tears fall, because gods be damned, it felt so _good_ to be back with them, to be home again, with his family.

Apollo disentangled himself and Artemis slid down, each stepping back and looking their baby brother in the whole for the first time in three millennia.

Aita swallowed. "Hey, guys," he said, voice shaking.

They were both quiet for a second, then Apollo said, "You're a fucking asshole."

"I know," Aita said.

"And a bastard," Artemis said.

"I know."

Apollo seemed to struggle with his words, running both hands through his hair. "How long—why would you—how come—you fucking—"

"I'm sorry," Aita said again.

"Sorry?" Artemis said, incredulous. " _Sorry? Are you freaking kidding me?_ You think sorry's just—you think—you—" Then she was crying again.

Aita surged forward and captured them in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so, _so_ sorry." They wrapped their arms around him and pulled him to the floor, where they sat, sobbing into each other.

Aita saw a flicker of movement, and when he looked up, he saw someone who he'd dreaded facing.

"Hecate."

She was dressed in a dark gown with swirling black hair and light blue eyes. Her face was unreadable, and her stance was neutral.

"Can we…have some time alone, please?" he asked his siblings, who looked ready to protest, but reluctantly agreed when he said, "Please."

They left a moment later, promising to see him again for the party tonight. And then he was alone with Hecate…

"Babe, look I know you're—"

She slapped him.

"You don't know what I feel," she said hoarsely. "You faded. You were torn away from me and I couldn't do anything about it. I was in so much pain…"

"I'm sorry," he said for the millionth time that day.

"You're alive?" she asked quietly.

"Mm-hmm."

She pulled him to her, crying loudly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, because even after all that had happened, no matter how bad, he was her husband, and he still loved her more than anything.

-o-

Time is difficult for a god, so he could not say how long they wept together, but now they were leaning against the wall of hedges, hands held tightly together. Hecate had both her hands holding his, while her head rested on his shoulder.

He didn't want to disturb this moment, but he knew he had to address what had been plaguing him for months, so he said those three simple words he hated:

"You have kids." It wasn't a question.

She stiffened against him, her breath suddenly stopped. She was quiet for a long time, then said, "Yes."

"…How many?"

She shook her head. "I don't know—but—"

He silenced her with a gesture. "Please, wife, just…listen to me." She nodded and closed her mouth. "I wasn't happy when I found out," he confessed. "I was angry, and hurt, and sad, and a million other things. I hated you, for _so_ long. I did…stupid things. I was with other women. Well, wom _an_. Hemera, from the throne room. We were…together…when I was away." He didn't know why he was saying so much, but he couldn't stop now. "I wanted to despise you, to cast you aside and take others to spite you, but…gods curse me…I love you, Hecate, and I can't stop loving you. Gods, so much has changed. I can barely understand it all. I just…can we…"

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you too," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I really am. I—I promise, no more children, no more lovers, no more cheating. I promise."

He closed his eyes to stop more tears. "Are we going to be okay?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "But…let's go one day at a time. We'll start over, maybe see a therapist, a marriage counselor, etc."

"What's a marriage counselor?"

She laughed. "Someone who makes marriage a little less fucked up."

He smiled at that. "Maybe now my dad will stop having more affairs."

She laughed again. "Maybe." She stood up and held out a hand. "Come on, let's go home."

He looked about to take it, then shook his hand. "I can't. I need to see one more person I need to see." He stood up.

"See you tonight?"

"I promise." Then he grabbed her cheeks and kissed her. A sweet kiss, with anger, resentment, hope, joy, sadness, misery, amusement, elation, and relief all mixed in. "See you tonight," he whispered, then flashed away.

-o-

The bright Miami sun beat down on the marble-white condo duplex. The ocean lapped contently against the beach, and mortals swam, walked, and played along the coast, completely unaware of how close they had come to dying.

Aita stood in the hallway, hand frozen in mid-knock. On the other side of that door, he knew, was his mother, the Titan Leto. Steeling his nerves, he knocked once, twice, thrice.

"Come in," came a muffled voice.

Aita opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Leto had her back to him, pouring water from a ceramic vase onto a pot of bright yellow flowers.

"Yes," the Titan said, turning, "how can I—" She dropped the vase.

"Hi, Mom," Aita said, holding a hand up.

Leto crossed the room slowly, never taking her eyes off of him. She lifted her hands up to his face and cupped his cheeks. "Aita?"

"Mm-hmm," he said, smiling. "I'm back."

She let out a cross between a sob and a laugh and crushed him to her in a bear hug. "Oh, my sweet baby," she said, crying. She peppered his face with kisses and rocked him slightly from side to side. "How are you—why—how is…"

He explained everything to her slowly, and she listened, soaking in the story. When it was done, she was quiet, her head resting on his shoulder, golden hair falling down his chest.

"You're really home?" she asked after a while.

"I am," he said. "And I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

"That's good." She shot back, eyes wide. "Do Artemis and Apollo know?"

"I already saw them. There's this big party on Olympus tonight to celebrate the victory over the giants; we're all meeting there. You should come, Mom."

Leto laughed. "Baby, you're supposed to take a special lady to those kinds of things, not your mother."

He smiled. "You'll always be my special lady, Mom."

She laughed, though it sounded almost like a sob. "You always did know how to manipulate me. Alright then." She linked her arm around his. "Let's go to this party."

He laughed and led her out of the condo, smiling all the way.

-o-

Olympian Mardi Gras was in full effect—loud music, delicious food, wonderful sights, beautiful women.

It was a good time.

The Muses were playing in the center of Olympus on a large wooden stage, flooded with lights from stage lights. Nymphs and satyrs danced to the sound of tweed pipes and lyres, hopping from one foot to the other.

Aphrodite danced with Ares and Hermes and Dionysus, while Hephaestus looked on with crossed arms. Demeter was tending to the floral processions, while Hestia stood vigil over the hearth, looking happy despite the lack of attention she was receiving.

Aita laughed, goblet of wine in hand, as Apollo recounted several stories about what he had missed. Artemis faced away from them, though she would reach out every few minutes, as though to make sure he was still there; Aita would give her fingers a tight squeeze and tell her to relax. She would scoff and take a sip of wine, though the edges of her mouth would twitch.

Leto sat nearby, watching her children—all of them, back together—with a thinly-veiled smile, perfectly content to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere. Hecate was there too, her hand firmly grasping her husband's, knuckles turning white. Aita would wince every once in a while and give her a peck on the cheek, and she would get red as Aphrodite's lipstick and loosen her death grip.

Apollo was in the middle of explaining the Trojan War when someone cleared their throat. Turning, Aita saw that the king of Olympus himself was standing there in a navy-blue suit and striped tie.

He slid off the small wall he had been using as a seat and slipped his hand out of Hecate's grip. "Hey, Dad."

"Aita," the king said. He was quiet for a minute, then: "It has been a long time."

"Yeah," Aita said with a snort, "I know."

Zeus cleared his throat. "I am…unsure of how to say this, my son, but"—he put a hand on Aita's shoulder—"I am glad you are well."

Aita smiled and wrapped his arms around Zeus. "I missed you too," he said, stepping back.

Zeus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, now, I…"

Leto strode forward gracefully and placed a hand on Zeus's shoulder. "Come, my lord. Let's give the children some time to themselves."

Zeus looked much more comfortable now. "Yes, that sounds fine."

Leto led Zeus away after giving her children a wink and saying, "Bye, babies." All three of them blushed while Hecate laughed.

"Wait," Apollo said a few minutes later, "you and Hemera…you two…?"

Aita glanced at Hecate, who just nodded once. "We…laid together, several times—completely casual, of course—while I was working to destroy the emperors. She is a valued friend, and I would not be here without her."

"Yeah, yeah," Apollo said, waving a hand, "but you two had sex?"

Aita swallowed. "…We did, yes, but—"

Apollo suddenly laughed and scooped up Aita in a hug. " _YES!_ " he said, laughing. "This is great! Dude, you got with a primordial. I don't think even _Dad's_ done that!"

"Apollo," Artemis snapped. "Try to have some tact."

"I was just—"

Hecate cleared her throat. "Can I please have a moment alone with my husband?"

Apollo had the grace to look abashed. "Look, I didn't mean—"

"Just do it," Aita said, not looking forward to what was coming. When Artemis looked about to protest, he took hold of her fingers and gave a squeeze. "Hey, relax. I'll be right back. Not like I'm gonna disappear again or anything."

It was the wrong thing to say, and he knew it. Apollo and Artemis's eyes welled with tears, and the latter glared at him hard enough to crack stone. "Five minutes," he promised, softly. "Five minutes, then I'll come back, and we can sing and dance and hunt and do whatever you two want, I promise."

Apollo gave a small smile while Artemis just said, "Five minutes," and walked away, Apollo trailing after her. Hecate took Aita's hand in hers and began to drag him away from the party, down past the gardens, and toward the palaces. She stopped suddenly and whirled around.

"Look," Aita began, "Apollo didn't really—mmph!" He didn't get the chance to finish, as Hecate rushed forward quickly and slammed her lips into his. It only took him a minute to gather his wits and kiss her back, putting his arms around her back, their tongues battling.

She abruptly ended the kiss and grabbed hold of his jerkin, ripping it down the middle with a territorial growl. She began to kiss and lick and bite his chest and stomach, lighting a fire deep within him.

"Babe, wait," he said, forcing his eyes open. "We can't do that…here…" They were no longer outside, but in the middle of their shared bedroom, nearly untouched by time. "How did you do that?" he asked stupidly.

"Do you really care?" she asked, getting down on her knees and reaching into his pants with her thumbs.

"Not really," he confessed. "Wait." He grabbed her wrists, making her look up at him, eyes shining. "I love you."

She smiled seductively up at him and wrenched his pants down, taking the underwear with it. His cock was exposed for nearly a second before it disappeared down her throat, drawing out a surprised gasp from him. She bobbed up and down in rapid succession, running her lips and tongue over his sensitive skin. The room was soon filled with the sound of moans and slurps, the god putting both his hands on his lover's head to make her go faster.

Hecate reached around Aita and gave one of his butt cheeks a playful squeeze before placing both hands on his legs and using them to increase her momentum. "Babe," Aita gasped, "I'm gonna…" She pulled free from him, strings of saliva still connecting them. "What the fuck?" he growled, angry at having his orgasm cut short.

She stood up and gave his chest a hard shove, pushing him down onto the bed. She was on him a moment later, kissing him with enough passion to bruise his lips. She tore away his ripped jerkin and shuffled his breeches off, leaving him buck naked. He reached around her and tore away her gown, noticing she wasn't wearing anything else.

"No panties?" he asked, smiling.

"What's the point?" she asked back, gripping his hair and turning his head up. "Now kiss me, pretty boy." He did so vehemently, running his hands up and down her sides, as he did oh so long ago.

"Fuck me," she said, laying heated kisses along his jawline. "Hurry up and put it in."

He flipped her over and positioned himself at her entrance. "My pleasure," he said, slamming into her. She cried out and a tear leaked from her eye. "Hecate?" Aita asked, halting. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

She smiled up at him, more tears coming now. "No, my love," she said, shaking her head. "I've missed you so much."

He swallowed and leaned down to her. "I missed you too," he said, "and I'm sorry."

"You can be sorry later. For now, just keep going."

"With pleasure, my lady," he said, picking back up. He thrust into her again and again, the sound of their skin slapping together reverberating around the room. Hecate wrapped her arms around Aita's waist, keeping him close. He savagely attacked her breasts, licking and biting at them. After a few more pumps, he felt her walls squeeze him of his seed, and he collapsed onto her, resting his head on her shoulder, giving it a light kiss.

"I love you," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around his body, afraid to let go.

"I love you too," he said, nuzzling her pale skin. "And I can go one more round, how about you?"

She laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. "As long as it's with you."

"You won't have to worry about that ever again." He readjusted himself slowly, pushing into her, their stomachs brushing as his chest rubbed against her sensitive nipples. He made love to her slowly, pulling nearly all the way out of her before gently gliding back inside, their lips gently brushing together.

"Aita…" she moaned as he moved to kiss her collarbone, "…so…good."

He smiled and moved back to kiss her lips, moaning softly. After a few more minutes of lovemaking, both stiffened as they rode out one of their most intense orgasms to date. When it was over, Aita rolled off of her, looking deep into her eyes, deep purple on light blue.

"I love you," he said.

She smiled and replied, "I love you too." She snuggled into his chest. "I think it's been more than five minutes," she mumbled.

He laughed. "Good. Otherwise I'd be getting rusty."

She smiled and moved up to kiss him. "Promise you'll never leave me again."

"I promise," he said, giving her a light kiss; and he meant it. He would never leave again, never abandon her, or anyone, ever again. He'd keep his promise.

And he wouldn't be forgotten again.

* * *

A/N: Well, everyone, it's been a long and wonderful road, but all things must come to an end. Words can't describe how thankful I am to each and every one of you who followed, favorited, reviewed, and read this intended one-shot that bloomed into my most popular fanfic to date. Y'all are wonderful. I had intended one last scene to show Hemera having a baby with purple eyes, but I decided to cut it (Though, in my mind anyway, she's totally pregers by the time of the last time we see her. What do you guys think about that?).

Please, every one of you, take a minute and leave a review telling me what you thought, not only of this chapter, but of the whole story. Guest reviewers are always welcome, and don't be afraid to criticize, just so long as you aren't insulting.

It's been fun, everyone.

Bye.


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